By Adams Akorede
For the Senator representing Oyo South senatorial district seeking return ticket to the Senate in 2019 under the platform of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Soji Akanbi, hard times are here as another aspirant within the party, Olatunji Haastrup Adewale (a.k.a. Wale Murphy) has approached a Federal High Court, praying it to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to
reject the Senator’s name ahead of 2019 elections.
As if that was not enough, other plaintiffs in the joint suit marked FHC/IB/CS/113/2018 like Aderemi Aderemi Olatunji E. Olajide; Olasunbo Olalekan Olakunle; Seun Segun Akinborewa; Abass Alesinloye Kolawole Olabimtan and Hon. Olufemi Josiah also prayed the court to in the same manner, reject the ADC’s nomination of Messrs Wasiu Olatubosun, Adeyemi Adekunle Yakub, Gaphar Ojetola and Abiola Ahmed Akindipe as candidates for Ibadan North West/South West federal Constituency; Ibadan North East 2, Ibadan North 1 and Ibadan North West respectively.
In the suit jointly and severally instituted by Wale Murphy; Aderemi Olatunji E. Olajide; Olasunbo Olalekan Olakunle; Seun Segun Akinborewa; Abass Alesinloye Kolawole Olabimtan and Hon. Olufemi Josiah, other defendants alongside Senator Akanbi are the ADC itself; its National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu; National Vice Chairman, Dr. Dele Ajadi; National Secretary, Alhaji Saidi Baba Abdullahi and National legal adviser, Mr. Peter Oyewole, who doubles as the Chairman, Oyo state primary screening committee of ADC.
Also joined as defendants are the State Chairman, Dr. Ahmed Ayinla, Mr. Wasiu Olatubosun; Adeyemi Adekunle Yakub; Gaphar Ojetola; Abiola Ahmed Akindipe; Chief Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja; Chief Michael Koleoso; Dr. Busari Adebisi; Chief Layiwola Olakojo and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The contentious constituencies, according to the plaintiffs in the suit filed by their counsel Olusola A. Dare, are the Oyo South Senatorial District; Ibadan North West/Ibadan South West constituency, Ibadan North East II; Ibadan North West and Ibadan North I constituencies respectively.
The plaintiffs are seeking court’s determination on whether the ADC can nominate a candidate or submit the name of a candidate to the INEC as its candidates to contest Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly without complying with the mandatory provisions of the Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), Article 20 of the constitution of the ADC and guidelines for party screening and primary elections for the 2019 general elections?
They are also asking the court to determine if the said Section 87 and Article 20 of the constitution of ADC has not been violated and discountenanced especially if the INEC and the 5th defendant (ADC Legal Adviser, Peter Oyewole) go ahead in fielding them for the 2019 elections?
Towards this end, the plaintiffs prayed the court to make a declaration that the ADC cannot nominate a candidate or submit name of any person to the INEC as its nominated candidate for the Oyo South Senatorial district; Ibadan North West/South West Federal Constituency; State Assembly for Ibadan North East 2, Ibadan North West and Ibadan North 1 state constituencies of Oyo state without complying with the provision of the said Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and Article 20 of the constitution of the ADC 2018 (as amended) and guidelines for party screening and primary elections for the 2019 general elections.
A declaration that the name of candidates submitted for Oyo South Senatorial district, House of Representative federal constituency and Ibadan North 1 state constituency house of Assembly, Ibadan North East and Ibadan North West State constituency 2, Ibadan North West state constituency be discountenanced.
The plaintiffs while praying the court to direct INEC to discountenance or reject name of any candidate submitted to it by the 1st-6th and 12th-15th defendants as the candidates for the affected senatorial, federal and state constituencies, they also prayed for an order of injunction to restrain the INEC, the 16th defendant from accepting, recognising, giving effect to or in any manner acting on the list of nominated candidates submitted to it by the ADC, Nwosu, Dele Ajadi, Peter Oyewole, Ladoja, Koleoso, Adebisi and Olakojo for the 2019 elections.
