An Ondo State High Court in Akure has affirmed Mr. Olugbenga Edema as the valid candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the upcoming November 16 governorship election in the state.
The court dismissed a suit challenging his candidacy.
The plaintiffs, Mr. Michael Akintan and Mrs. Kemi Fasua, had filed the suit seeking to disqualify Edema, arguing that he was not eligible to contest as the NNPP candidate.
Represented by their counsel, Mr. Monday Mawah, they sought both injunctive and declaratory reliefs, including a permanent injunction to prevent Edema from presenting himself as the party’s candidate.
However, Edema, along with his running mate Mr. Rotimi Adeyemi, opposed the suit through their lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Olorunfemi.
Olorunfemi argued that the case was an abuse of the court process and should be dismissed.
He contended that the issue at hand was a pre-election matter, which should have been brought before the Federal High Court, not the Ondo State High Court.
In his submission, Olorunfemi emphasized that the court lacked jurisdiction over the matter, as jurisdiction is a critical factor in determining whether a court can hear a case.
The court ruled in favor of Edema, rejecting the claims made by the plaintiffs and upholding his candidacy for the November 16 governorship election.
