Biyi Otegbeye, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC in Ogun State and Ibikunle Amosun’s anointed candidate has been reinstated by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
This development came a few months after the Ogun State Labour Party and the All Progressive Congress, APC had separately dragged the ADC candidate to court over non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of their party’s primaries.
The court ruled that the primaries which produced Otegbeye and other candidates from the party were not monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is a violation of the Electoral Act.
INEC was ordered by the court to remove Otegbeye’s name and that of 26 House of Assembly candidates from its list ahead of the 2023 election. Before his disqualification, he had gained former Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun’s backing. Though he is still a member of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Amosun turned his back on the incumbent, Dapo Abiodun who is seeking re-election in 2023.
He threw his weight behind Otegbeye and has been doing all within his political power to ensure he is elected in 2023. Otegbeye on the other hand has also been boasting that Amosun’s backing will help him to win the election. Aggrieved members of the ADC ran to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Federal High Court.
However, the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, which initially ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expunge Otegbeye and other ADC Assembly candidates from its list.
The court, in a unanimous judgment held that the lower court has no jurisdiction to adjudicate on the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the trial court challenging the primaries conducted by the ADC.
The court subsequently set aside the decision and all the orders made by the trial court for want of jurisdiction. It awarded the cost of N50, 000 in favour of the appellants.
