Court dismisses suit challenging Makinde’s candidacy

AN Oyo State High court sitting in Ibadan yesterday dismissed the suit filed by Senator Ayoade Adeseun and Sunday Adeyanju, challenging the legality of the primary elections that produced  Seyi Makinde (governor-elect)  as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in last election.

Adeseun, who was Makinde’s opponent in the PDP primaries held in October 2018 at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, had  claimed that the list of delegates that participated in the election was  imported and doctored.

The complainant  in the suit had prayed the court to declare the primary elections of the party as undemocratic, null and void.

During the court proceeding, which started in January, the claimant’s counsel, Michael Lana, presented 14 witnesses. The defendant’s counsel presented eight witnesses.

Justice Ganiyu Sunmonu ruled yesterday in favour of PDP and dismissed all claims of the claimants.

Ganiyu said Adeseun’s counsel could not prove with substantial evidence that the delegates’ list for the primary was doctored.

The judge said: “He who asserts must prove. The claimants must provide the names that were removed to prove that the list was doctored.”

One of the leading lawyers of the first defendant, PDP, Lateef Adedigba, who spoke after the ruling, said  his client would be happy with the outcome of the judgment.

Adedigba said: “The claimant filed a case as far back as October last year, challenging the primary election conducted in respect of all elective posts by the PDP.

“By the virtue of the judgment read today, the judge disagreed with them and agreed with us that the primaries conducted were in order and they were in accordance with the constitution of the first respondent, that is the PDP, as well as the Constitution, the Electoral Act, as well as all the other relevant laws.”

“That is what the judgment is all about. The primary was in order, perfect. They can go to the Court of Appeal.”