AN aggrieved loser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries in Lagos State, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, has failed to secure an interim injunction from the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, to aid his cause.

Obanikoro, who was the former Minister of State for Defence, had requested the court to stop the party from submitting the name of the declared winner of the primary election, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its standard bearer for the state in 2015.

The decision followed an exparte application moved on Obanikoro’s behalf by his counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), praying the court to restrain PDP and INEC from dealing with Agbaje as the former’s flagbearer in the 2015 governorship race.

However, in his ruling, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed ordered Obanikoro to put the defendants on notice for them to appear in court to show cause why the order should not be granted.

In the substantive suit, Obanikoro ‎accused a chieftain of PDP in Lagos State, Olabode George, and Agbaje of recruiting armed thugs to the disadvantage of other candidates at the governorship primaries held on December 8.

“I also saw the police recover five guns and rounds of ammunition and life cartridges from the thugs brought by Olabode George and Mr. Jimi Agbaje, a co-aspirant,”‎ the former minister claimed.

His averment is contained in an affidavit in support of his suit seeking to nullify Agbaje’s victory at the said primaries. Obanikoro, with 343 votes, came second behind Agbaje, who polled 432 votes to clinch the party’s ticket. Three other candidates participated in the poll.

However, in a suit filed on December 15, he urged the court to nullify the primaries and order a fresh one on the grounds of alleged electoral irregularities that marred the December 8 exercise.

He alleged in his suit of December 18 that the election was marred by electoral irregularities such as over-voting, intimidation of his delegates by thugs loyal to George and Agbaje, as well as improper accreditation of delegates.

According to him, there were 806 delegates accredited for the primaries but, “surprisingly from the 806 accredited delegates, the electoral officers returned a total number of 866 votes.”

He added that the accreditation of delegates, which ought to last between 8a.m and 12noon, as stipulated by the PDP Electoral Guidelines, did not start until as late as 6.30p.m.

In an affidavit he personally deposed to, Obanikoro stated that the thugs “at this point began to disrupt the venue by throwing bottles, stones and firing gunshots in the direction of the delegates loyal to me and preventing other delegates loyal to me from entering the venue.

“That the gunshots attracted another detachment of policemen, who engaged the thugs in a gun and teargas battle during which many of the delegates loyal to me ran for their dear lives to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the police and the armed thugs.”

In an affidavit he personally deposed to, Obanikoro stated that the thugs “at this point began to disrupt the venue by throwing bottles, stones and firing gunshots in the direction of the delegates loyal to me and preventing other delegates loyal to me from entering the venue.

omenka:
Have the courts started issuing conflicting judgements?? Though I saw somewhere thaat the court has barred Jimi from posing as the flag bearer of the party. What is going on??

EdCure:
APC is synonimous with chaos, anerchy and crisis.