Inside Talk Of The Town Court Case Threatening Ladi Adebutu’s Guber Ticket

Multiple court cases are troubling the chances of Ladi Adebutu, becoming the next Governor of Ogun state.

Adebutu is the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 election but the validity of this status is the subject of litigation in different courts.

Information at hand revealed that particularly providing cause for concern for supporters is the talk of the town suit instituted by ad-hoc delegates denied the right to vote in May 25, 2022, PDP gubernatorial primary election at Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The ad-hoc delegates went to court on the premise of been unable to vote during the gubernatorial primary because they couldn’t find their names on the register provided. They insist that their participation – 370 votes out of 728 – would have given victory to another aspirant, Jimi Lawal.

In Suit No: FHC/AB/87/22, at the federal high court Abeokuta on behalf of themselves and the 3 Man Adhoc Ward Delegates elected in the ward congresses held on the 30th of April, 2022 in all wards in the Local Government Areas in Ogun State – except the wards in Ikenne, Shagamu and Remo North Local Government Areas -, Taiwo Olabode Idris, Kehinde Akala and Alhaji Ayinde Monsuru want the court to primarily take the PDP gubernatorial ticket away from Adebutu and give it to their aspirant of choice, Jimi Lawal or order another gubernatorial primary using INEC’s certified list of ad-hoc delegates elected in the ward congresses of April 30, 2022.

The exempted areas Ikenne, Shagamu and Remo North Local Government areas are strongholds of Adebutu.

Jimi Lawal is a defendant – along with the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and other gubernatorial aspirants Adeyemi Sowunmi and Abodunrin S.A – in the matter which was heard on August 24, 2022,

The plaintiffs assert that the ward congresses of April 30, 2022, reportedly met all legal requirements in the election of ad-hoc delegates including monitoring by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, and related security agencies as well as the certification of the results by the electoral body.

Idris, Akala, and Monsuru are backed the 370 Affidavits of “the elected delegates in other wards and Local Government Areas who were equally not allowed to participate in the indirect primary election” in the push to get “justice” for their gubernatorial aspirant of choice.

SocietyNow.Ng gathered that the “uncertainty” in the suit that the trial judge Hon. Justice O.O. Oguntoyinbo has reserved judgment till a date to be communicated to parties has made it a thing of great interest within and outside the PDP.