Osun 2022: Court stops PDP, INEC from recognising Davido’s uncle, Adeleke as candidate

An Osun State High Court, sitting in Ijebu-Jesa, has ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise Senator Ademola Adeleke, an uncle to musician, David Adeleke, alias Davido, as the party candidate for July 16 governorship election in the state.

The court also ordered that the governorship primary election be conducted by the 215 wards executive in line with its earlier ruling on the validity of delegates qualified to vote on the exercise.

Presided over by Justice Adeyinka Aderigbigbe the court had on March 3, 2022, in an exparte motion brought before it by one Adedokun Ademola and 29 others ruled that only the 215 wards executive, in line with the judgement of another state High Court delivered on November 22, 2021 were qualified to vote in the exercise.

In a certified true copy of another Mandatory Interim Injunction ordered on Thursday, March 9, 2022, the court averred that exercise embarked upon by the National Working Committee of the party is null and void, saying the actions were taken in flagrant disobedience to the judgement of November 22, 2021, which recognized the Ward Executive Officers which produced delegates for the primaries.

It, therefore, urged the INEC and PDP to recognise Dotun Babayemi, who emerged in a parallel primary, as the valid candidate of the party pending the determination of the substantive suit before it.

Justice Aderibigbe, in the order of Mandatory Interim Injunction, averred that delegates that voted for Babayemi did so in compliance with the Court judgement of 22nd November 2021 and Order of Mandatory Interim Injunction of 3rd March 2022, affirming the 215 Wards Executive Officers elected then as the authentic and authorized Ward Executive Officers permitted to vote as delegates at the party governorship primaries.