Ondo election: Court okays suit challenging Akeredolu’s candidacy

- The court has cleared the road for Akeredolu's emergence as APC candidate in the Ondo governorship election to be challenged

- Justice Nnamdi Dimgba dismissed Akeredolu's objection to Olusegun Abraham's suit challenging his candidacy because it lacked merit

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has allowed a suit challenging the candidacy of Ondo governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu as the legitimate candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recent Ondo election.

Punch reports that presiding judge Nnamdi Dimgba, in his ruling on Friday, December 16, dismissed as being without merit a notice of preliminary objection that challenged the competence of a suit filed by Olusegun Abraham, Akeredolu’s co-contestant in the APC’s primaries.

After dismissing Akeredolu’s objection on Friday, Justice Dimgba adjourned till February 2, 2017 for the hearing of the substantive suit.

In his suit, Abraham prayed the court to issue:

An order setting aside the Ondo State Governorship primary of the 1st respondent (APC) held on September 3, 2016 for non-compliance with provisions of the APC Elections Guidelines 2014 as amended for Primaru elections, and Electoral Act 2010 as amended and APC Constitution as amended.

An order setting aside the submission by the 3rd defendant (Odigie-Oyegun) as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress of Ondo State.

An order compelling the 4th defendant to extend time within which the 1st defendant shall conduct fresh governorship primary election of the 1st defendant based on the Congress and Congress Appeal Committee’s Delegates’ List, 2014 and in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress, 2014, as amended, APC Electoral Guidelines, 2014 and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

Meanwhile, the APC has submitted a controversial audio tape of Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike as evidence of malpractices in the just concluded rerun elections in the south-south state to the Nigeria Police Force.

Members of the party led by Honourable Asita on Friday, December 16 presented the evidence to the police and demanded that Wike's submissions in the audio be properly investigated.