Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking to bar Barrister Asue Ighodalo from being presented as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the upcoming Edo State election.
The suit, filed by aggrieved PDP governorship aspirant Anselm Ojeizu, was deemed premature by the court as it was filed on March 6. Justice Egwuatu ruled that Ojeizu had not exhausted the PDP’s mandatory internal dispute resolution mechanisms before taking the matter to court.
Agreeing with Ighodalo’s counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Akinlolu Kehinde, Justice Egwuatu stated that Ojeizu’s failure to engage the PDP Appeal Panel constituted a breach of the party’s rules.
Ojeizu had sought to have the February 22 primary election, which produced Ighodalo as the candidate, annulled. He claimed that the Electoral Act 2022 and PDP guidelines were violated during the primary held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, alleging the use of a falsified delegate list.
However, Justice Egwuatu emphasised the necessity for aspirants to adhere to internal dispute mechanisms before approaching the courts, citing Supreme Court precedents.
Asue Ighodalo, a lawyer and investment banker, emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate on February 22, securing 577 votes.
He is considered the preferred candidate of Governor Obaseki. Other aspirants, including Anselm Ojezua, Arthur Esele, Osaro Onaiwu, Martins Uhomoibhi, Hadizat Umoru, and Felix Akhabue, each received no votes, with six votes voided from a total of 585 accredited delegates.
The Chief Returning Officer for the Edo PDP Gubernatorial Primaries and Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, declared Ighodalo the winner.
