Osogbo court rules that Senator Adeleke is the bonafide PDP gubernatorial candidate

SENATOR Ademola Adeleke remains on course to stand in the Osun State gubernatorial elections taking place on July 16 after a federal high court in Osogbo declared him the bonafide governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

On March 8, the PDP held its gubernatorial primaries but the exercise led to division as while one faction elected Senator Adeleke, the Wale Ojo faction of the party elected Dotun Babayemi as its candidate at a parallel primary. With both candidates claiming to be the legitimate representative of the PDP, the matter inevitably had to be decided by a court.

In a judgment delivered early this morning, Justice Nathaniel Ayo Emmanuel ruled that Dotun Babayemi did not participate in the PDP primary elections. He held that the court could not pick candidates for any political party, adding that it was an internal party issue and therefore the matter was dismissed.

In the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec)-recognised PDP primary held at the Osogbo City Stadium, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke was declared the winner. This was the official PDP primary and the party event sent the Bayelsa State deputy governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, to chair the occasion.

In a list of candidates later released by Inec, Senator Adeleke was recognised as a duly elected candidate of PDP in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state. As a result, Mr Babayemi approached the court to challenge the submission and nomination of Senator Adeleke and the validity of the primaries conducted at the stadium against the one conducted by his faction.