Breaking: Court sacks Ogun ADC assembly candidates, orders INEC to remove their names from its website

By Afolasade Owotutu, Abeokuta

Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta on Friday annulled all the House of Assembly primaries conducted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ogun State for its failure to adhere to the electoral law.

The presiding Judge, Justice Adetayo Aluko also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove all the names of the 26 candidates from its website.

The judgement which was as a result of the suit brought before the court by the All Progressives Congress against the ADC and INEC, seek for five grounds for determination by the court.

Justice Aluko in his judgement said since the 3rd defendant agreed that it did not monitor the primaries the action violates the electoral act and the Constitution.

Speaking on the facts of the suit, counsel to the plaintiff, Adewale Adegoke, said the suit is to challenge the candidature of ADC House of Assembly candidate, Wemino Owolabi as he was declared for Ifo 1 state constituency, for 2022 house of Assembly elections in Ogun state.

“Our contention in the suit was that Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the 3rd defendant in the suit, has violated a provision in the electoral law with the declaration of the 1st defendant as the validly nominated candidate of the ADC, and the court agreed with our submisions, that the 1st defendant was originally an aspirant under APC, before crossing over to ADC.

“The court also agreed that the supervision of primary which they claimed to have done did not hold because INEC did not monitor it, and INEC wrote a report to that effect which motivated our written of originating summon to that effect, what INEC was called to come and monitor was house of Assembly primary but what they saw them conducting was a governorship primary which was contrary to notice sent to INEC.

“The primaries were also held at a single venue which was at Agbeloba, State Headquarters of ADC, instead of holding the same primaries in the constituencies where they were expected to produce candidates.

“It was based on these reasons that the court agreed with us that the primaries that produced the 1st defendant was not done in accordance with the provision of the Constitution and the electoral act.

The INEC was then directed to remove the name of the 1st defendant from its website.