July 17, (THEWILL) – A Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed Dr Asue Ighodalo as a validly elected candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
The judgement follows a suit filed by the impeached deputy governor of Edo State and others, challenging the nomination of Dr Ighodalo, as Edo PDP Governorship Candidate.
Marked CS/469/24, Shuaibu and others, prayed the court to void Ighodalo’s nomination over the alleged forgery of his voter’s card.
On Wednesday, Justice James Omotosho declared the suit statute barred, ruling that being a Pre-election matter, it was filed outside the 14 days allowed under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.
According to the judge, even though forgery or non-possession of voter’s card was a disqualifying factor under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiff failed to prove that Ighodalo forges his voter’s card as alleged by the plaintiffs.
Consequently, Justice Omotosho affirmed Ighodalo as the lawful and valid governorship candidate of the PDP, having emerged from the February 22nd primaries held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Edo State.
THEWILL recalls that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on 4th July, reportedly declared invalid the primary election of the PDP held on February 22, 2024, which produced Ighodalo as its governorship candidate.
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