Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s nomination as APC candidate authenticated by the court
This followed the judgement of the Federal High Court Abuja on Wednesday, January 13
Justice Inyang Ekwo in his judgement rejected the prayer of Akereolu’s challenger, Olajumoke Anifowose
The Federal High Court in Abuja discharged one more suit challenging the legitimacy of the emergence of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the runner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 20, 2020, primary election of the party.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, delivering a ruling on Monday, January 13 dismissed the suit filed by an APC aspirant in the poll, Olajumoke Anifowose.
Naijablaze.Com collected that the judge detained that the application statute-barred on the grounds that being a pre-election matter, it was filed outside the 14 days provided in section 185(9) of the constitution.
He said that, although the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/881/20200, confronted the outcome of the APC’s governorship primary election held on July 20, 2020 initially filed on July 26, 2020 (within 14 days after the occurrence of the cause of action), it was wrongly commenced when the plaintiff chose to sue the governor of Ondo state as against Akeredolu in person.
According to him, the amendment effected by the plaintiff on the originating summons, to substitute the party named as the first defendant – the governor of Ondo state – with Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, was done on August 13, 2020, outside the 14 days allowed by the constitution.
Ekwo stressed that the amendment of the originating process for the purpose of substituting parties in the course of the suit would have been in order if it was done by the plaintiff within the 14 days allowed for the commencement of pre-election cases under Section 185(9) of the constitution.
