Ibrahim seeks nullification of Aiyedatiwa’s nomination as APC candidate

Despite efforts by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to pacify aggrieved aspirants over the 20 April governorship primaries in Ondo State, one of the aspirants, Jimoh Ibrahim, has gone to court to seek cancellation of the election.

Mr Ibrahim has filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the nullification of the primary election.

In the suit filed, Mr Aiyedatiwa, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are the defendants.

On Tuesday, the Court ordered the three defendants to file their defence within the stipulated time frame required by law, insisting that there would be no extension of time. The matter was adjourned till 29 May 2024.

Meanwhile, INEC has given 20 May as the deadline for the submission of the list of governorship candidates and their deputies.

The Usman Ododo-led Primary Election Committee had declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa the winner of the election despite protests by many of the aspirants that the election was not held in most of the wards across the state.

Mr Ododo declared that Governor Aiyedatiwa scored 48,569 votes to beat 15 other aspirants.

Mr Aiyedatiwa was closely followed by Mayowa Akinfolarin, who polled 15,343 votes and closely followed by Olusola Oke, who garnered 14,915 votes.

Mr Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo South, according to the declared results, polled 9456 votes; Wale Akinterinwa, 1,952; Isaac Kekemeke, 1,045; Gbenga Edema, 395; Olamide Ohunyeye, 424; Jimi Odimayo, 490; Olusoji Ehinlanwo, 492; Morayo Lebi, 290; Diran Iyantan, 348; Francis Faduyile, 353; Ifeoluwa Oyedele, 462; Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo, 529 and Funke Omogoroye, 115 votes.

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But the results were promptly dismissed by the aspirants who claimed that the results were cooked up and lacked credibility.

Following the tensions within the APC as a result of the primaries, the chairperson of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje summoned a meeting of all the aspirants in Abuja, perhaps, intending to get them to drop their ambition and support Mr Aiyedatiwa ahead of the 16 November governorship election.

Although some have accepted the pleas of the APC, Mr Ibrahim has refused to back down and has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the nullification of the primary election.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Aiyedatiwa had also made personal efforts to appease Mr Ibrahim and others, but the senator is adamant.

The party had also set up a reconciliation committee composed of leading members of the party in the state to intervene and get all party members to align behind the governor.

It is yet to be seen if the efforts of the committee are yielding any results.

Publicity Secretary of the party in Ondo State, Alex Kalejaiye, said efforts were on to get all the aggrieved aspirants to see the reason why a united APC was better for all members ahead of the election in November.

READ ALSO: Ondo 2024: Court orders Aiyedatiwa, others to file defence

“The party has a constitution, but the Constitution of Nigeria is supreme and members of the party have the right to seek redress in matters such as the primaries.

“A reconciliation committee is in place and we hope it will achieve its purpose,” Mr Kalejaiye said.

He, however, said calls to sanction those seeking legal redress over the primaries were unnecessary since the aspirants were within the provisions of the law to do so.

Mr Ibrahim and his supporters insisted that the primary election was fraught with irregularities that run foul of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); the Constitution of the APC; and the Party guidelines set out for the conduct of the primary election.