A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit seeking to disqualify Barrister Asue Ighodalo as the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for the upcoming Edo State election.
The court ruled that the plaintiff, Anselm Ojeizu, failed to exhaust the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism before filing the suit.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu held that Ojeizu’s case was premature and that he should have explored the PDP’s appeal panel before seeking legal action, according to Daily Post.
The court agreed with Ighodalo’s counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, that Ojeizu breached the party’s rules by sidestepping the appeal panel.
Ojeizu had alleged that the primary election was marred by violations of the Electoral Act and PDP guidelines, including the use of a fake delegates list.
However, the court emphasized that aspirants must respect and comply with the party’s internal dispute resolution process before seeking legal recourse.
Ighodalo, a lawyer and investment banker, emerged as the PDP governorship candidate after winning the primary election with 577 votes. The court’s decision clears the way for Ighodalo to contest the election as the PDP candidate.
In a matter of this nature, conditions precedents must be respected and complied with by any aspirant as had severally enunciated by the Supreme Court in all its decisions”, the Judge said.
