Court Affirms Adebutu As PDP Ogun Guber Candidate

The Supreme Court, has affirmed Mr. Oladipupo Adebutu as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the forthcoming governorship election in Ogun State.

An appeal filed before the top court by Jimi Lawal, a disgruntled party candidate for governor of the state, was denied by a unanimous judgment of a five-justice panel in the case. 

When the party’s governorship primary election was held on May 25, 2022, Lawal filed a lawsuit to contest the delegate list that was utilized to carry it out.

He said that the list, which he claimed comprised the names of political appointees, did not correspond to the names of the delegates who had been democratically chosen at the ward congresses. 

As a result, the appellant, among other things, requested a court judgment invalidating the results of the aforementioned primary election and compelling the PDP to hold a new one. 

He further requested that the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, annul the nomination of Adebutu’s name.

However, both the Federal High Court and the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal dismissed the case for want of merit.

Trial Justice Inyang Ekwo of the High Court, held that Lawal failed to establish his allegation that the primary election was not conducted in compliance with the 1999 Constitution, as amended.