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Court orders PDP to replace Reps candidate in Ondo

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Crisis brews in Kogi PDP

Justice Abdul Dogo of a Federal High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Tuesday ordered the replacement of the name of a House of Representatives member, Bode Ayorinde as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 16 election.

Ayorinde is currently the lawmaker for Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in the National Assembly and has had his name published by INEC as the party’s candidate.

The court ordered that the name of Sodiq Obanoyen be sent by the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the party’s candidate for the federal constituency.

Obanoyen dragged Ayorinde and others to court after Ayorinde’s name was sent to INEC as the winner of the party’s primary election held in Owo in October 2018.

The suit had the PDP, the chairman of the Ondo State PDP Mr. Clement Faboyede, Ayorinde and the INEC as the first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

The party explained that Obanoyen did not resign his appointment as a legislative aide to the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekeremadu, before obtaining the form to contest, hence, was therefore disqualified.

But counsel to the plaintiff, Remi Olatubora had presented the evidence of his client’s resignation before the court.

Read also: CCT adjourns CJN Onnoghen’s trial to Jan 28

Justice Dogo upheld that the plaintiff resigned and thereby qualified to contest the election.

He ruled, “The first defendant, PDP is hereby ordered to forward the name of the plaintiff to the fourth defendant as the candidate of the first defendant in the election.

“The third defendant, Ayorinde, is hereby restrained from parading himself as the candidate of the first defendant in the election.

“The fourth defendant is hereby restrained from recognising the third defendant as the candidate of the first defendant in the election.”

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