Ogun PDP Calls for Fair Judgment in Suit Challenging Candidates’ Eligibility for Council Polls

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Justice Sunday Adeniyi of the State High Court in Abeokuta to deliver a fair and impartial ruling in a case seeking to disqualify its candidates from the upcoming council elections.

The factional PDP chairman, Sikirulai Ogundele, along with 13 local government party chairmen, filed the suit numbered AB/484/2024, challenging the eligibility of certain individuals to represent the PDP in the election.

The plaintiffs argue that some candidates on the ballot are not listed in the party’s official register, as recognized by the National Working Committee (NWC).

The suit, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Kazeem Gbadamosi, seeks a judicial determination on whether individuals not included in the NWC-approved membership list from the Ward Congress can be presented as PDP candidates in the upcoming local government election.

In a statement to the press on Wednesday, Abayomi Tella, the chairman supported by the PDP national leadership, alleged that the suit is an attempt by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevent PDP candidates from participating in Saturday’s poll.

He claimed that the Ogun State Government is behind the suit, aiming to disqualify PDP contenders through legal maneuvers.

Tella further raised concerns about Justice Adeniyi’s affiliation with the APC, suggesting a potential conflict of interest due to the judge’s political background within the ruling party.

He urged the judge to either recuse himself from the case or ensure a just ruling.

“It has become necessary to inform the public about the deliberate and desperate attempts by the State Government and the ruling party to silence and exclude the opposition, particularly the PDP, from Saturday’s local government elections in Ogun State,” Tella said. “We believe in the rule of law and respect the judiciary.

However, we are aware that the judge presiding over this case has political ties to the APC, having served as a former Caretaker Chairman of Ikenne Local Government, the Director General of the Governor’s Senate campaign in 2015, and was appointed judge by Governor Dapo Abiodun.”

Tella clarified that his intention was not to cast doubt on the judge’s integrity, but to encourage transparency and justice.

The PDP chairman also appealed to the Ogun State Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) to conduct the election in a free and fair manner, urging equitable and timely distribution of voting materials across all polling units in the state’s 20 local government areas.