Ondo Guber: Oke asked Appeal Committee to nullify primary election

A frontline governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressive Congress in Ondo state, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, has asked the election appeal committee, to nullify the last Saturday's governorship primary election in the state.

Oke said that the exercise was a nullity having been conducted against the order of court and without compliance with relevant provisions of laws and APC Constitution and guidelines.

With Oke's petition, the number of governorship aspirants that have approached the Appeal committee have risen to six.

The aspirants include Hon Olugbenga Edema-, Jimi Odimayo, Jimoh lbrahim, Foluke Omogoroye and Wale Akinterinwa

Oke, in his petition to the primary appeal committee, through his counsel, Oluwaseyi Bamigboye, Esq, said that "the APC primary election in Ondo State purportedly conducted between 20th and 22 of April, 2024 be set aside for being a nullity, flawed, having been conducted against order of Court, lis pendens and without compliance with relevant provisions of laws and APC Constitution and Guidelines.

He that "Since no valid declaration can be based on an invalid primary election, the committee is urged to recommend or direct a conduct of fresh primary to be conducted in line with applicable laws and guidelines.

The counsel said that " We are Solicitors to Chief Olusola Oke, SAN on whose behalf and instruction we present this petition. We shall hereinafter refer to him as "our client" or, where applicable, as the "Petitioner".

"Our client was cleared to participate and actually participated as Aspirant in the APC Governorship Primary Election slated for 20th April, 2024.

"The primary election was to be governed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, APC Constitution and Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2024 General Election.

"The primary election was purportedly conducted and concluded between 20th and 22nd of April, 2024.

"It is our client's complaint that the above APC purported primary election is a nullity, non-existent, a charade and a total concoction same having not been conducted in compliance with the law and applicable regulations/guidelines.

The ground for the petition, according to Bamigboye include that "The primary election is a nullity having been organised, superintendent and supervised by HE, Abdullahi Ganduje against a valid, binding and subsisting order of Kano State High Court by which he was restrained from performing the functions of the office of National Chairman of the APC at all times material to the conduct of the primary Election.

"The primary election was not conducted as prescribed by law and the APC Constitution and Nomination Guidelines,

He listed the Particulars of Infractions, to include, absence of Validated Membership Register, failure to deploy Electoral personnel to the venues prescribed for each ward and each Local Government, failure to distribute Electoral materials to Local Governments and Wards venues where elections were to hold and election results collated, prescribed procedure for voting which is Open Secret Ballot not adopted (paragraph 22(iii)(2)

Others include "Members shall assemble at their respective wards and vote by Open Secret Ballot (Option A4), failure to display membership register, no accreditation of financial members, change of venues without notice, non accreditation of Aspirants' Agents, election not conducted, yet results generated and allocated by Returning officers camped in Hotel in Akure, the results declared were not product of any election, wild spread violence and wild spread corruption

He declared that "oral and documentary evidence shalt be profiled  in support of the above grounds should there be opportunity to do so.