By DADA AYOKHAI
There is no iota of truth in the claim that Justice Ekwo Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja nullified the PDP primary produced by Bar Asue Ighodalo
According to the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court judgment obtained by our reporter, there was no mention of the nullification of the candidacy of Bar Asue Ighodalo in the guber race.
The federal high court judgment has been slanted mainly by members of the opposition party in the state to make it seem as if the judge nullified Bar Asue Ighodalo’s further participation in the guber race
The social media was agog with the story that the court had sacked Bar Asue Ighodalo by the nullification of the PDP primary which produced him. Such misinformation, however, turned out to be untrue.
Justice Ekwo sat on a suit filed by certain aggrieved PDP delegates allegedly loyal to the impeached former deputy governor of the state, Hon Philip Shaibu, who were excluded from participating in the primary.
Borderline News 24 check shows that the opposition party cashed in on the case to make mincemeat of the situation
According to the copy of the CTC obtained by Borderline News 24, the ruling by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja Federal High Court did not nullify the election of Bar Asue Ighodalo as the Edo PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Concerning the suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/165/2024, the judge only ordered the inclusion of 378 delegates as part of the 3 Ad-Hoc Ward Delegates to enable them to participate in the February 22 primary election.
The CTC document clarifies that the judge did not make any pronouncement on the validity of the candidature of Bar Asue Ighodalo and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie Esq, as reported in some sections of the media.
The document, therefore, resolves the distortions and confusion surrounding the judgment delivered by Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo.
In the ruling, the judge declared that “the Plaintiffs and the other 378 delegates whose names and election results appear on Exhibits BID 8A to 8L were elected and to allow the Plaintiffs and the 375 other lawfully elected delegates to participate in the primary election of February 22, 2024.”
Furthermore, the judge stated, “A declaration is hereby made that by Article 50(3) of the Constitution (as amended in 2017), the Plaintiffs together with the other lawfully elected delegates whose names and election results appear on Exhibits BID 8A to 8L herein, are the lawfully elected Ward Delegates in their respective wards and are entitled to participate as 3 Ad-Hoc Ward Delegates at the Governorship primary election of Edo State PDP slated for the 22nd of February, 2024 or any other date.”
He also added, “An Order is hereby made directing the Defendants to abide by the outcome of the 3 Ad-Hoc Delegates Ward Congress of February 4, 2024, and to allow the Plaintiffs and 375 other lawfully elected delegates to participate in the primary election of February 22, 2024.”
The judge then made an Order of Mandatory injunction restraining the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Defendants from unlawfully excluding the Plaintiffs and the other lawfully elected delegates from participating in the Governorship election primaries of the 2nd Defendants slated for the 22nd of February, 2024, or any other date.
