Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr. Ajose Abejoye has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), before the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos to compel it to recognise a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Are Azeez Ajibola as the validly elected candidate of the party for the Apapa Constituency of the Federal House of Representatives.

The plaintiff (Ajibola) was said to have won the PDP primary election conducted and monitored by officials of INEC on June 9, 2022. However, on 24th June 2022, the party allegedly substituted the plaintiff’s name with the name of another aspirant (Mr. Hakeem Salau) who had zero votes and submitted it to INEC as its (PDP’s) candidate.

Also joined in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1288/22, are Mr Hakeem Salau and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the first and second defendants respectively.

Abejoye who is suing on behalf of Ajibola an aspirant for the said seat is amongst others praying the court to declare the Plaintiff as the lawful candidate of the party having validly won the majority votes at the primaries of the PDP conducted on the 9th of June, 2022.

In the writ of summons made available to SaharaReporters, Mr. Abejoye is urging the Federal High Court for a perpetual injunction to restrain the first and third defendants from recognizing Salau as the PDP candidate having lost the primary election to the plaintiff.

Specifically, Abejoye stated that the leadership of the party was substituting Are for Salau while acting on the scheming and promptings of some powerful elements within the party.

He (Abejoye) is also seeking the court to determine “Whether in view of the facts of the suit and Sections 29 and 85 of the Electoral Act, 2022, the Claimant ought to be granted the reliefs being sought in this suit.”

When contacted, Abejoye stated that he was acting in the interest of justice and fair play as well as to safeguard the sanctity and integrity of our electoral process in taking up the case, while expressing confidence that he would win in the law court.

“I am going on with this case to prove a point to politicians and the whole world that there will be no more room for any form of electoral impunity and political iniquity in the country. I am using this case to tell Nigerians that we must at all times obey and abide by outcomes of set rules even when such don’t favour us.

“The case is simple and straightforward; someone won an election convincingly but some powerful figures are denying him of enjoying the sweet fruits of his well-deserved victory because of his financial and societal limitations. Who does that in a sane democratic society? This we hope to reverse because of our implicit belief in the judicial system and process,” Abejoye said.