Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has taken legal action against the All Progressives Congress, Ondo State Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, and the Independent National Electoral Commission at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South in the Senate, is challenging the validity of the APC primary election that produced Aiyedatiwa as the party’s candidate for the November governorship election.
Ibrahim, a governorship aspirant who participated in the primary election, alleged that the poll was marred by numerous irregularities and violations of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022.
He insisted that some delegates who could have voted for him were not accredited, rendering the primary election null and void.
The Senator is seeking a court order to cancel Aiyedatiwa’s nomination as APC candidate.
He is also asking the court to bar INEC from accepting Aiyedatiwa as the APC governorship candidate as well as prohibit Aiyedatiwa from claiming to be the APC governorship candidate.
He insisted that the court should not only set aside the disputed primary election and compel the APC to conduct a fresh one in compliance with the law bit remove the names of the APC and Aiyedatiwa from the list of political parties and candidates participating in the gubernatorial poll.
He prayed the court to strip the APC and Aiyedatiwa of all rights unless a fresh primary election is lawfully conducted.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Senator Ibrahim through his lawyer moved an ex-parte application for an order of substituted service of court process on Aiyedatiwa through any staff of the APC at the National Secretariat in Abuja, according to Daily Post.
The request was granted by Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo who in a brief ruling ordered that the process in the suit be served on the Ondo State Governor through the APC.
Justice Ekwo subsequently fixed May 14 for the hearing of the suit.
