Yesterday, a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit that sought to invalidate Ademola Adeleke's selection by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate for governor of Osun State in the July 16 general election.
The lawsuit was dismissed by Justice Obiora Egwuatu on the grounds that the plaintiff lacked locus standi to bring the claim.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP, and Adeleke were all named as defendants in the lawsuit by the plaintiff, Awoyemi Oluwatayo Lukman, who asked the court to nullify and set aside Adeleke's name submission to INEC as an unlawful act.
Plaintiff's complaint was that PDP hastily submitted Adeleke's name on March 11 rather than between March 14 and 18, as instructed by INEC.
Adeleke’s name having not been submitted within the period fixed by INEC, the plaintiff asked the court to declare the submission illegal, unlawful, null and void and be set aside.
However, Justice Egwuatu struck out the suit on the ground that the said Awoyemi Oluwatayo Lukman lacked locus standi to have instituted the case.