Justice Nyang Ekwo of an Abuja High Court has fixed May 14th for hearing in the suit filed by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim against the victory of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the Primary Election held in Ondo State.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has dragged the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before a Federal High Court in Abuja over the disputed primary election that produced Aiyedatiwa as APC candidate for the November election.
Ibrahim, representing Ondo South in the Senate, is praying the court to cancel the nomination of Aiyedatiwa as APC candidate on the ground that the April 20 primary election that produced him was unlawful.
He alleged that the poll was marred with irregularities, including violation of sections 221, 228 of the 1999 Constitution and section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
The Senator claimed that some delegates who could have voted for him at the primary election were not accredited to vote, making the primary election liable to be set aside and nullified.
He is therefore praying the Court to bar INEC from accepting Governor Aiyedatiwa as the APC governorship candidate in the coming November 16 gubernatorial election in Ondo State.
Ibrahim also sought an order of perpetual injunction prohibiting Governor Aiyedatiwa from holding himself out or parading himself as the APC governorship candidate.
He wants the court to set aside the purported primary election and compel the APC to conduct a fresh one in compliance with sections 221, 228 of the 1999 Constitution and section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.
Furthermore, Ibrahim requested that APC and Governor Aiyedatiwa be stripped of all rights except a fresh primary election is lawfully conducted for the purpose of nominating a candidate for the governorship election.
At the Wednesday’s proceedings, Senator Ibrahim through his lawyer moved an ex-parte application for an order of substituted service of court process on Aiyedatiwa through any staff of the APC at the National Secretariat in Abuja.
The request was granted by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, who ordered that the process in the suit be served on the Ondo State Governor through the APC.
