Court Strikes Out Suit Against Osun Governor-elect, Sen. Adeleke and INEC

By Our Reporter

A Federal High Court, in Abuja, presided over by Justice Obiora Egwuatu ,on Thursday, struck out a suit seeking nullification of submission of the name of Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last July 26 in Osun State gubernatorial election.

The judge, according to Daily Post report, nullified the suit on the ground that the plaintiff lacked locus standi to institute the case.

""The plaintiff in the suit, Awoyemi Oluwatayo Lukman, had dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the PDP and Adeleke before the court seeking order to void and set aside the submission of Adeleke’s name to INEC on grounds of alleged unlawful action.

"The grouse of the plaintiff was that Adeleke’s name was hurriedly submitted by PDP on March 11 as against between March 14 to 18 as contained in the INEC guidelines."Daily Post reported.

In view of that allegation, the plaintiff asked the court to declare the submission, illegal, unlawful, null, and void and be set aside, justifying his grouse on the insistence that Adeleke’s name have not been submitted within the period fixed by INEC.

He claimed that INEC must be bound by its official guidelines and that anything done outside the guidelines is against the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

In his judgment however, Justice Egwuatu struck out the suit on the ground that the said Awoyemi Oluwatayo Lukman lacked locus standi to have instituted the case.