Court Urged To Stop Obanikoro From Contesting PDP Primaries

Court Urged To Stop Obanikoro From Contesting PDP Primaries 

Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Lagos have urged a Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeja to bar former Defence Minister, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro from participating in the party’s forthcoming primaries.

The members, Micheal Babatunde Ogun, Suleiman Olayinka Saheed  and Wasiu Adeniyi Odusan, based their request to the court on the ground that he had allegedly presented a forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the past.

In an originating summons filed before the court by the three members, they are praying the court to declare that based on the provision of Paragraph 4 (a) of Part iv of the Electoral Guidelines for primary Elections, 2014, of the INEC, Obanikoro was not eligible to participate in the gubernatorial primary election of the PDP scheduled for December 8, 2014 in Lagos State.

Joined in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In the originating summons brought pursuant to Sections 182(1) (a) (j)  of the 1999 constitution, Sections 31(2), 31 (5) 31 (6) and 31 (8) of the Electoral Act, 2010 and Sections 10 (1)  and other relevant sections of the PDP constitution, the applicants were asking the court to declare that “the 1st Respondent stands disqualified by virtue of his antecedents and constitutional provisions including the Electoral Act from aspiring for nomination in the Governorship Primaries of the 3rd Respondent or any registered political party in Nigeria for the purpose of contesting the 2015 general elections for Governorship in Lagos State or any subsequent elections in Nigeria. “

Apart from this, they were asking the court to grant them a perpetual injunction restraining Obanikoro from participating in the said primaries as well as an order restraining the PDP from nominating him to INEC for the purpose of contesting the 2015 Governorship election in the state.

The applicants who exhibited several documents including an application form bearing Onikoro Musiliu Babatunde in support of their motion, argued that by fielding Obanikoro by their party, they and the party stand to suffer immeasurably during a contest with other political parties in the state. 

They averred that unless the court accedes to their request by granting a perpetual injunction against Obanikoro, their interest as stakeholders and overriding interest of the party will be jeopardise.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the motion.