A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday fixed December 1 for judgment in the legal case over the Peoples Democratic Party governorship ticket in Ogun State.
Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date after taking arguments from the parties involved in the legal battle over the disputed ticket.
TheFact Daily reports that at the centre of the dispute were Otunba Jimi Adebisi Lawal and Oladipupo Adebutu, both governorship aspirants of the PDP and are laying counterclaims to the ticket.
Jimmy Lawal, who contested the PDP governorship primaries on May 25, 2022 challenged the emergence of Oladipopo Adebuto, alleging that the PDP had appointed an illegal and improper delegates to conduct the election.
Among other things, Lawal had prayed for the alleged primary of May 25 to be canceled and for another to be held with the authentic ad hoc delegates.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, in his decision on 29 July, refused to hear Jimmy Lawal’s suit on the merits on the grounds that the primary election was a domestic affair of any political party and dismissed the suit.
However, the Supreme Court on November 21 had ordered the Federal High Court to hear the suit brought by Jimi Adebisi Lawal against the PDP and Adebutu.
Judge Ibrahim Saulawa of the supreme court had ordered a speedy hearing of the prosecution after ruling that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to hear the case.
In Thursday’s proceedings, Judge Ekwo, following an order from the Supreme Court, proceeded to expeditiously hear the case given the fact that the case would lapse on December 2, 2022.
The judge said, he would do everything possible to deliver a verdict on the case on December 1.
In the lawsuit, Kanu Agabi, SAN and Ola Olanipekun, SAN represented Jimmy Lawal as the plaintiff, while Chief Chris Uche, SAN supported the PDP and Oladipupo Adebutu.
While Agabi begged the court to grant his client’s request, Uche opposed the request and urged the court to dismiss the case on three grounds.
