Abiola’s wife in court to challenge ‘PDP discrimination’

Akasoba Duke-Abiola, one of the widows of Nigeria’s late frontline politician, MKO Abiola, has filed a legal action against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for refusing to give her the expression-of-interest form for the party’s forthcoming primary election.

In a suit filed at a federal high court in Abuja, Duke-Abiola alleged that she was the first person to pay for the form among all the party’s presidential candidates.

Though the national executive council of PDP endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole candidate for the 2015 election, Abiola is seeking to challenge him in the primary election.

She said as a member of PDP, the party lacks the justification to deny her the right to take part in the election.

“I have satisfied all the requirements for obtaining the Expression of Interest Form Code PD002/P, and the 1st defendant had no reason for denying me the form,” her petition read.

“By the provisions of article 3(1) (a) of the ‘Electoral Guidelines for primary elections 2014 of the PDP’, all aspirants for the office of president are entitled to expression of interest form code PD 002/P upon payment of prescribed non-refundable fee of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira) only.

“The 1st defendant acknowledged my payment for the expression of interest form but still went ahead to issue the alleged sole form to Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who paid much later than I did.

“By the refusal of the 1st defendant to give me the form, they have denied me the right to contest for the position of the president.”

She further explained the harassment and intimidation that she had been subjected to in the process.

“The national secretary of the 1st defendant expressly told me that the sole form available was meant for President Goodluck Jonathan only, who has been adopted by the national working committee and the board of trustees of the 1st defendant as the sole/consensus candidate of the party,” she said.

“When I protested against the discriminatory nature of the policy and demanded the expression of interest form I had paid for, he bluntly asked me to go back to the office of the National Chairman of the 1st Defendant and ask him to give me the form.

“That upon informing the national chairman of the 1st defendant of the development, he expressly told me that the 1st Defendant will not give me the form as the only form printed had been reserved only for President Goodluck Jonathan, and further advised that I should leave the premises.

“It is in the interest of justice to grant the reliefs sought in this suit.”

Lagos-based lawyer, Festus Keyamo, is her counsel.