BY Samuel Akpan
An Osun state high court has restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising Ademola Adeleke as the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming Osun governorship election.
Adeleke was declared the winner of the parallel PDP governorship primary election backed by the national working committee (NWC) of the party, while Dotun Babayemi was announced as the winner of the Olagunsoye Oyinlola faction.
The mandatory interim injunction, dated March 10, 2022, followed an ex parte order filed by Edmund Biriomoni on behalf of Adedokun Ademola and 29 others.
While ruling on an ex parte motion which was brought before the court by some PDP ward chairmen in the state on March 3, the court presided over by Adeyinka Aderigbigbe ruled that the ward congress held by the Soji Adagunodo-led state working committee on September 25, 2021, is the only valid congress.
The court also held that only the delegates elected from the congress should vote at the party’s primary.
Adagunodo is a former factional state chairman of the PDP in Osun.
Although the PDP NWC had later appointed Sunday Bisi as acting chairman of the party, an Osun state high court had, in February 2022, affirmed Adagunodo as the chairman.
In the ex parte motion issued on Thursday, the judge further affirmed that the delegates elected on September 25, 2021, are authentic delegates.
“An order of mandatory interim injunction is granted by this court recognising or affirming the Peoples Democratic Party, Osun state governorship primary conducted on the 8th of March, 2022, wherein the ward executive officers elected on the 25th of September, 2021 in the following wards listed as (a) -(y) in the motion paper of the Peoples Democratic Party voted as delegates in full compliance with the judgement of the court delivered on 22nd of November, 2021 and order of the mandatory interim injunction granted on the 3rd of March, 2022, affirming the 215 ward executive officers as the authentic/or authorised elected ward executive officers permitted to vote as delegates at the party governorship primaries,” the ruling reads.
“An order of mandatory interim injunction of this court is granted restraining the defendants/respondents from recognising any other governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osun state conducted on the 8th of March, 2022, apart from the governorship primaries conducted on the 8th of March, 2022 wherein ward executive officers elected on the 25th of September, 2021 in the following wards listed as (a) -(y) in the motion papers, of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osun state voted as delegates at governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osun state in full compliance with the judgement of the court delivered on the 22nd of November, 2021 and order of mandatory interim injunction granted on the 3rd of March, 2022 affirming the 215 ward executive officers as the authentic/or authorised or elected ward executive officers permitted to vote as delegates at the party governorship primaries.”
The court has also fixed March 16 for further hearing on the matter.
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