Court dismisses suit challenging Kola Abiola’s nomination as PRP’s presidential candidate

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed a suit filed challenging the emergence of Kola Abiola as the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election.

The judge, who delivered the judgment in an application filed by a PRP presidential aspirant, Madam Patience Key, held that the suit was statute barred hence, the court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain it.

Key had in her earlier originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1001/2022 and filed on June 28 challenged the emergence of Abiola as the PRP’s presidential candidate, among others.

She urged the court to nullify the exercise over alleged irregularities.

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In an amended originating summons granted by the court dated August 31 and filed on September 2, the plaintiff sought a consequential order setting aside the submission of Abiola’s name by PRP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on June 15 as its presidential candidate for next year’s election over alleged gross violations of the party’s guidelines for the conduct of primaries and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

PRP, INEC, and Abiola were listed as respondents in the suit.

At Thursday’s proceeding, Justice Mohammed said the suit was a pre-election matter, adding that it ought to have been filed within 14 days from the date of the occurrence of the cause of action in compliance with Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution.

He agreed with the defendants that though the PRP presidential primary was conducted on June 5, the plaintiff filed the suit on June 28, when the case ought to have been instituted no later than June 19.

The judge held that though Key raised weighty allegations on the conduct of the poll, he said the plaintiff’s claim of vote buying, non-compliance with Section 84 of the Electoral Act, and gross violations of the party’s guidelines for the conduct of primaries, could not take preeminence over failure to file the case within the time prescribed by law.

He consequently dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction to hear it.

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