The crisis within the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be nearing resolution, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of four appeals related to the governorship legal battle. These appeals were filed by Jimi Lawal, one of the governorship aspirants, along with several ward delegates. The court dismissed the appeals on the grounds that the appellants lacked a valid cause of action. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, leading a panel of five justices, announced the dismissal on Tuesday after the respective lawyers withdrew the appeals.
One of the appeals, filed by Tayo Olabode against the PDP governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, was dismissed because the delegates who initiated the action did not possess locus standi, or legal standing, to do so. The court determined that the delegates, who claimed to have been disenfranchised during the PDP primary election that produced Adebutu, were not eligible to initiate legal proceedings since they were not aspirants in that election. The Supreme Court clarified that only an aspirant in a primary election has the legal right to challenge the outcome, excluding other party members from doing so.
In another appeal concerning the failure to serve an originating summons on the defendant, the Supreme Court ruled that the issue of service was moot. This was because the aggrieved defendants had participated fully in the proceedings from start to finish. Deji Eniseyin, the counsel for the appellants in the appeals marked SC/CS/1599, SC/CS/1601/22, and SC/CS/1602/22, made significant efforts to persuade the justices in favor of his clients. However, he ultimately conceded that his clients had participated in the trial, albeit under protest.
Olabode, representing a group of ward delegates, had alleged that they were disenfranchised from participating in the governorship primary election. He sought to have the court annul the primary election that resulted in Adebutu’s candidacy, arguing that it was conducted by unlawful delegates. During the proceedings on Tuesday, the justices posed various questions to the lawyers involved in the appeals, all of which were answered negatively. It was unanimously agreed in open court that, despite the grievances expressed by the ward delegates, they were not legally entitled to challenge a primary election in which they were not candidates.
In light of these findings, the appellant lawyers, Chukwudi Enebeli and Deji Eniseyin, expressed their regret in withdrawing their clients’ cases. Consequently, Justice Kekere-Ekun dismissed the appeals, stating that they lacked a solid legal foundation.
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