The campaign director for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Edo State, Pedro Obaseki, has stated that appealing the judgement that nullified the primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as the party's standard bearer is unnecessary.
This comes after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja voided the election, citing the unlawful exclusion of 378 delegates.
Despite the ruling, Edo State PDP Chairman Tony Azeignemi has maintained that Ighodalo remains the party's candidate for the September 21 governorship election.
Obaseki, in an interview on Channels TV's Politics Today, questioned the need to appeal the judgement, describing it as "absolutely of no consequence." He alleged that the judgement bordered on "judicial rascality" and cited a previous case filed by Hadiza Umaru, a participant in the process, which was dismissed by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
Obaseki quoted the judge as saying that the plaintiffs failed to establish how they were affected by the party's decision to hold the primaries, leading to their case being struck out. He implied that the recent judgement was similarly flawed, making an appeal unnecessary.
The PDP campaign director's stance suggests that the party is confident in its position and will not be deterred by the court's ruling. The developments have added to the complexity of the Edo State governorship election, with the PDP's candidate remaining unchanged despite the nullified primary election.