By Wandoo Sombo
Sen. Smart Adeyemi, (APC, Kogi West), Shuaibu Abubakar and three others have approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, demanding an immediate cancellation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kogi.
The suits are marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/556/2023 and FHC/ABJ/ CS/557/2023 and were filed by Mr Adekunle Otitoju on behalf of Adeyemi and Abubakar, who is the son of former governor of Kogi, Abubakar Audu.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the purported direct primary election conducted by APC which produced Mr Ahmed Ododo as the governorship candidate of the party as illegal.
The plaintiffs said that their grouse was that the alleged unlawful selection of Ododo ran foul of Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution.
They claimed it was also contrary to Section 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act as well as Article 20 of the APC Constitution.
Apart from Adeyemi and Abubakar, other aspirants also contesting the outcome of the primary include; a former Minister of State for Education, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Martala Ajaka and Mr Sanusi Ohiara.
The plaintiffs are praying the court to amongst others, invoke Section 177 of the Constitution, Section 29 and 84 of the Electoral Act and Article 20 of the APC Constitution to declare the purported primary election invalid.
They also asked the court for an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject and refuse to recognise the name of Ododo as APC’s governorship candidate.
This, they said was on the grounds that he emerged from an invalid primary election.
The aggrieved governorship aspirants also prayed for an order compelling APC to conduct a fresh primary election and to give all aspirants equal opportunity as prescribed by the Electoral Act, 2022.
In a 35 paragraph affidavit in support of his originating summons, Adeyemi claimed to have obtained his nomination and expression of interest form at N50 million.
He said he was subsequently screened and cleared to participate in the primary election slated for April 14.
He further claimed that while waiting at his constituency to cast his vote along with his people, he was shocked when information came to him that the purported primary election had been conducted and a purported winner had emerged.
Addressing newsmen shortly after filing the suit,Adeyemi and Abubakar described the purported primary that produced Ododo as a phenomenal rape of democracy.
He said it must not be allowed to stand if democracy was to thrive in the country.
Similarly, Abubakar said that what happened in Kogi during the purported primary election was contrary to the constitution, and should not be allowed to stand.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the President-elect, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice- President-elect, Sen. Kashim Shettima and the Arewa Consultative Forum to intervene in order to save democracy in Kogi.(NAN)
