Aregbesola’s man seeks court to nullify Oyetola’s victory – Nexus News
The quest for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has moved to the court.
Moshood Adeoti, who lost to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in the primary election during the weekend, has requested a Federal High Court in Abuja to announce him winner of the shadow poll.
In the direct primary oversee by a committee, presided by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasak, the governor polled 222,169 votes to beat Adeoti, who scored 12, 921 votes and former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Yusuff Lasun, who got 460 votes.
Adeoti was backed by Minister of Interior and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Supporters of the litigant had formerly questioned the outcome of the ward and local government congresses in court at Osogbo and Ikire. The cases were discharged.
Many stakeholders have commended Governor AbdulRazak for conducting a free, fair and transparent exercise.
Before the start of the poll, he permitted the aspirants to crosscheck the party membership register to allay any fear of exclusion of their supporters from the register and from voting.
The voting, sorting, counting and poll announcement was also made known to all.
Civil society groups who supervised the exercise implored other parties and states to learn from the Osun experience.
But Adeoti prayed the court for a declaration that he was the right nominated candidate.
Adeoti further requested the court to declare that Oyetola was not eligible to contest under the party’s constitution, because he is an officer of the party.
He also seeked, among others, an order ordering the APC to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the validly nominated candidate, rather than Oyetola.
Adeoti, the complainant, made the request in his originating summons in a lawsuit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/203 filed through his counsel, Chiesonu Okpoko, SAN.
The APC, Oyetola and INEC, who are the 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, are yet to file a reply.
Oyetola swept all the 30 Local Government Areas (LGA) and Ife-East Area Office in the primary.
In his lawsuit, Adeoti asked seven questions for determination, to challenge Oyetola’s victory.
He disputed, among others, that Oyetola was by virtue of his appointment by the APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) as a member of the party’s Caretaker Extraordinary and Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), as an officer of the party.
According to Adeoti, Oyetola ought to have resigned his membership of the CECPC and resign office as an officer of the party at least 30 days before the date of the primary to qualify for participation in the primary.
He debated that this “refusal and/or neglect to resign his membership of the CECPC, disqualified him as a candidate in the primary.
The litigant prayed the court for 12 reliefs, including “A declaration that by virtue of Article 2 of the 1st Defendant’s Constitution (October 2014 as Amended), the decisions of the CECPC or any of its organs or any committee set up by it, cannot override the provisions of the 1st Defendant’s Constitution.
“A declaration that by the combined effect of section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) and Article 31 (1li) of the 1st Defendant’s (October 2014 as Amended), the 2nd Defendant ought to have resigned his membership of the CECPC and leave office as an officer of the 1st Defendant at least 30 days prior to the date of the 1st Defendant’s Osun State primary election to qualify for participation in the said 1st Defendant’s primary election.”
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A pronouncement that by virtue of the Oyetola’s failure to resign or leave his office as a member of the CECPC at least 30 days before the Primary he was “disqualified from contesting in the said primary election of 19th February, 2022.
He further seeked a declaration that Oyetola having participated in the primary “is a grave violation or breach of the principle of audi alteram partem and Nemo judex in causa sua”
Other reliefs are “a declaration that the 2nd Defendant is disqualified from contesting as an aspirant in the 1st Defendant’s Osun State Governorship primary of 19th February, 2022 in Osun State.
“A declaration that all the votes cast in favor of the 2nd Defendant in the 1st Defendant’s Osun State Governorship Primary of 19th February, 2022 are invalid and/or throw away votes and/or wasted votes., the 2nd Defendant being unqualified to contest in the said Primaries.
“An order restraining the 1st Defendant from sending the name of the 2nd Defendant to the 3rd Defendant as a candidate in the 1st Defendant’s Governorship primary of 19th February, 2022 in Osun State.
“An order restraining the 1st and 3rd Defendants from recognizing the 2nd Defendant as the winner of 1st Defendant’s Governorship primary of 19th February, 2022 in Osun State.
“An order declaring the PLAINTIFF as the validly nominated candidate of the 1st Defendant having polled the highest number of lawful votes cast in the 1st Defendant’s Osun State Governorship Primary of 19th February, 2022.
“An order directing the 1st Defendant to forward the name of the PLAINTIFF to the 3rd Defendant as the validly nominated candidate of the I” Defendant having polled the highest number of lawful votes cast in the I* Defendant’s Osun State Governorship Primary of 19th February, 2022
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