A federal high court sitting in Ikeja Lagos has dismissed a suit seeking to bar Akinwunmi Ambode, gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from contesting the April 11 election.
Mohammed Yunusa, the presiding judge, dismissed the case on the grounds that the plaintiffs had no locus standi to institute any action before the court. He said they could not prove beyond reasonable doubts why their prayers should be sustained.
“None of the plaintiffs in the instant suit is an aspirant to be conferred with locus standi,” Yunusa ruled.
Samuel Adeniyi, who represented the prosecutors in his suit, claimed that the primaries that saw Ambode emerge as the APC flag bearer for the state was riddled by disenfranchisement of its clients, Olorunfemi Oluwatosin and Dada Joseph.
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The defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC, Ambode and the other 12 candidates who vied for the party’s ticket.
The party said the plaintiffs had no legal basis for contesting Ambode’s candidature since they were neither aspirants nor delegates, stating that it was an attempt by the duo to embarrass the party.
It requested that it be awarded damages, which should be paid by the plaintiff, for taking advantage of the court – a viable institution – in such a merely academic suit.
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In December, the party conducted its first gubernatorial primary in Lagos, which saw Ambode amass 3,735 votes to emerge winner, beating Obafemi Hamzat, his closest challenger, who polled 1,201 votes.
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