The former governor of Ekiti State, Engr Segun Oni, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP is enmeshed in a new legal tussle less than 24 hours to the election day.
A faction of the party is currently seeking for the disqualification and cancelation of the candidacy of the former governor as the flagbearer of the SDP for the Ekiti gubernatorial race holding on Saturday, 18th June 2022.
In a suit filed on Wednesday with suit number – FHC/C/31/2022, the plaintiffs are praying the High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti to hold that Engr Segun Oni`s candidacy did not emanate from any primary organized or recorganised by the SDP.
Plaintiffs in the suit incudes the SDP as the first plaintiff, while one Ishola Agboola, Tunde Alabi and Kehinde Rufus are the second, third and fourth plaintiffs, respectively.
They seek the nullification of the SDP flagbearer. In the affidavit, supporting their application the Plaintiffs averred that Engr Segun Oni did not emerge as the flagbearer of the SDP through a lawful process authorized by recognized officers of the party.
They claim that the former governor did not participate in any valid primary of the party, but was nominated by the duo of Shehu Gabam and Olu Agunloye, who according to the Plaintiffs are not lawfully reorganized as officers of the SDP.
Clariform reports that Shehu Gabam and Olu Agunloye were the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, respectively. They were allegedly suspended from office in January 2022.
However, no competent court of law has pronounced on this alleged suspension by the National Executive Council of the SDP after it was contested and rejected by the two officers.
The faction which now claim that Engr Oni emerged through a process superintended by these two officers are seeking for a court order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the former Ekiti governor as the SDP candidate.
Consequently, according to the Plaintiff, the party primary that threw up the candidacy of Engr Oni “never held formally” in the eyes of the law and as such null and void and of no legal effect in law for the purpose the governorship election holding on Saturday.
In addition, the Plaintiffs also seek to restrain the duo of Shehu Gabam and Olu Agunloye from continuing to parade or hold themselves out as the National Chairman and National Secretary or even as officers of the SDP in any capacity whatsoever.
