BREAKING: Court nullifies Edo PDP Guber Primary

In a significant ruling, the Federal High Court in Abuja has invalidated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.

The judgment was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, who found that the primary held on February 22 did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the guidelines for the conduct of the poll, and the PDP’s constitution.

Justice Ekwo noted that the evidence presented by the PDP was insufficient, and the plaintiffs successfully established their case against the defendants.

The court found that the returning officers fabricated the election results without proper procedures and excluded 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, which violated legal provisions.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), named as the first defendant, did not file any process in the case but stated it would abide by the court’s decision. Justice Ekwo ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding their case meritorious.

The plaintiffs, three aggrieved ad-hoc delegates representing 378 others, had sued INEC, the PDP, its national secretary, and the vice chairman, south-south. They sought an order to prevent the exclusion of their names and election results from the primaries.

The delegates are reportedly loyal to Philip Shaibu, the impeached deputy governor.

This judgment underscores the importance of adherence to legal frameworks in conducting primary elections and ensuring fair representation within political parties.

(NAN)