An Appeal Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital, on Wednesday, dismissed the suit instituted against Ademola Adeleke, challenging his emergence as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded Osun governorship election.
The suit filed by Dotun Babayemi, seeking the Court’s declaration as the PDP candidate for the July 16 governorship election in Osun State, was dismissed by the Court.
The lower court sitting in Osogbo had earlier affirmed Adeleke as the candidate of the PDP but dissatisfied with the ruling of the lower Court, Babayemi approached the Appeal Court to challenge the ruling.
It will be recalled that two factions of the party had on March 8, 2021, conducted parallel governorship primaries featuring Adeleke and Babayemi.
Babayemi was declared the winner of the primary election held at the Children and Women Development Centre in Osogbo, while Adeleke was declared the winner of the primary election held at Osogbo City Stadium.
The Adeleke election was backed by the PDP National Working Committee and Adeleke’s name was forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adeleke was recognised and the duly-elected candidate to fly the flag of the PDP in the governorship election in the state.
In a judgment delivered on May 18, Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, the judge, held that the primary election conducted at the WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo, on March 8, which produced Babayemi is null and void.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Babayemi filed a suit at the court of appeal, Akure, challenging the judgment of the lower court and seeking to be declared as the PDP governorship candidate.
The court of Appeal in its judgment, however, upheld the verdict of the High Court and consequently dismissed Babayemi’s appeal.
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