Court nullifies PDP Primary in Ekiti, orders fresh exercise

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has nullified the emergence of Wole Oluyede as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, ordering the party to conduct a fresh primary election.

The ruling was delivered on Tuesday by Justice Babs Kuewumi, who upheld a suit filed by Funso Ayeni challenging the conduct of the party’s primary.

In his judgment, Justice Kuewumi declared that the exercise that produced Oluyede was riddled with fundamental flaws and could not be sustained.

He held that the primary election was characterised by serious procedural breaches, including a blatant disregard for the PDP’s electoral guidelines and internal regulations.

The court described the process as a “gross abuse” of the party’s procedures, noting that it fell short of the standards required under both the PDP constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Justice Kuewumi further ruled that political parties are bound by their own rules and by the Nigerian Constitution, stressing that any process conducted in violation of these principles cannot enjoy legal protection.

Ayeni had approached the court alleging that the delegate list approved for the primary was unlawfully altered on the day of the election.

The court agreed with his position, finding that the manipulation of delegates struck at the heart of the exercise and fatally undermined its credibility.

On the strength of these findings, the court set aside Oluyede’s emergence as the PDP flagbearer and directed the party to organise a fresh primary election strictly in line with its constitution, electoral guidelines and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.

The judgment is expected to have significant implications for the PDP’s internal processes in Ekiti State as preparations continue for upcoming electoral contests.