Smart Adeyemi, others ask court to annul Kogi APC guber primary

Smart Adeyemi, senator representing Kogi west, has filed a suit at a federal high court in Abuja seeking the cancellation of the  All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in the state.

Shuaibu Abubakar-Audu, another aspirant and son of a former governor of the state, also instituted a suit to challenge the outcome of the poll which was conducted on April 14.

Ahmed Ododo, a former local government auditor-general in the state, was declared the winner of the primary.

Ododo scored 78, 704 votes to beat six other contestants.

Salami Momodu got 1506 votes, Abubakar Yahaya-Ashemogu secured 1,159 and Abubakar-Audu polled 763.

Stephen Ocheni garnered 552 votes, Sanusi Ohiare had 424, and Smart Adeyemi got 311 votes.

In the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/556/2023 and FHC/ABJ/ CS/557/2023, filed separately by Adeyemi and Abubakar-Audu, the plaintiffs are asking the court to invalidate the APC primary election.

They alleged that Ododo’s selection was in violation of section 177 of the 1999 constitution and sections 29 and 84 of the electoral act as well as article 20 of the APC’s constitution.

They also asked the court for an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject and refuse to recognise Ododo as APC governorship candidate.

In addition, the aggrieved aspirants are praying for an order compelling APC to conduct a fresh primary election and to give all aspirants equal opportunity as prescribed by the electoral act 2022.

Asides Adeyemi and Abubakar-Audu, other aspirants who have already commenced legal action against the outcome of the primary include Stephen Ocheni, a former minister of state for education; Martala Ajaka, deputy national publicity secretary of APC, and Sanusi Ohiare.

They are all seeking similar reliefs.