Federal High Court Nullifies PDP Primary Election in Edo State
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primary election that resulted in Asue Ighodalo being named the party’s candidate for the Edo State governorship election on September 21.
In his ruling on Thursday, Justice Ekwo declared that the PDP’s primary election held on February 22 did not adhere to the stipulations of the Electoral Act, 2022, the guidelines for conducting the election, and the party’s constitution.
He criticized the evidence presented by the PDP, stating that Exhibit PDP had presented lacked substance and affirmed that the plaintiffs successfully proved their case with the exhibits they submitted.
Justice Ekwo scrutinized the result sheets prepared by the returning officers, concluding that they fabricated the election outcome without proper oversight.
He highlighted that excluding 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, violated legal provisions. Despite INEC filing a memorandum of appearance, the judge noted the commission’s failure to submit further documents in the case.
Three aggrieved ad-hoc delegates, representing 378 others, had sued INEC, the PDP, its national secretary, and the vice chairman of the South-South region as defendants. They sought an order to prevent the defendants from excluding them and the other delegates from participating in the February 22 primaries in Edo State, citing “Exhibits BID 8A to 8L” containing their names and election results.
The plaintiffs, including Hon. Kelvin Mohammed, Mr. Gabriel Okoduwa, and Mr. Ederaho Osagie, representing constituents across 12 local government areas and 127 wards in the state, argued that justice would be served by granting their requested reliefs.
