A group of disgruntled politicians has filed a lawsuit against Lagos West Senator Olamilekan Adeola, seeking the court to prevent him from claiming victory in the All Progressives Congress primaries in Ogun West Senatorial District.
Adeola was proclaimed the winner of the APC Ogun West Senatorial ticket after defeating Senator Tolu Odebiyi, the current senator representing the seat, in Saturday’s party primary in Ilaro.
Adebiyi Tajudeen, Olajumoke Ibrahim, and Muideen Akintade, the offended politicians, approached the Federal High Court in Abeokuta on Friday, getting an interlocutory injunction preventing Adeola from parading himself as the candidate.
They argued that Adeola contested an election in Ogun West Senatorial District without having stayed in Ogun State for the number of the times required by law.
They also claimed that the Lagos senator was not from Ogun State and that he failed to resign as a senator representing Lagos West Senatorial district.
According to them, it is a deliberate marginalisation and an infringement on the democratic rights of the people of Ogun West Senatorial district and of Ogun state in general.
They further submitted that contesting without being a member of the party in Ogun West nor a registered voter in Ogun West Senatorial district is contrary to the Constitution of Nigeria and repugnant to natural justice, equity, and good conscience.
The legal document noted the move by Adeola is “undemocratic, flirtatious, disenfranchising, illegal, abnormal, denigrating to the political reputation of the people of Ogun West and Nigeria at large”.
They noted that declaring him a winner in a primary election is in “brazen violation and flagrant breach” of the right of the people of Ogun West to vote and be voted for.
In the injunction filed on Friday, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent in Abeokuta on Monday, the aggrieved politicians urged the court to grant the prayers to restrain Adeola from further parading himself as the senatorial candidate of the APC in the state.
The interlocutory injunction read partly, “an order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the first and second (Adeola and INEC) defendants whether by themselves, their agents, officers, officials, servants or privies, committees or however, called from taking a further step in allowing the first defendant to participate in the general electioneering process leading to the 2023 general from Ogun West Senatorial district or any other place in Ogun State pending the hearing and determination of the originating summon.”
