Court dismisses suit challenging Makinde’s candidacy

An Oyo State High court sitting in Ibadan on Tuesday dismissed the suit filed by Senator Ayoade Adeseun and Sunday Adeyanju challenging legality of the primary elections that produced Engr. Seyi Makinde (governor-elect) as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last governorship/House of Assembly election in the state.

Adeseun, who was Makinde’s opponent in the PDP primaries held in October 2018 at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan had claimed that the list of delegates that participated in the election was imported and doctored.

The complainant in the suit had prayed that the court to declare the primary elections of the party as undemocratic, null and void.

During the court proceeding which started January 2019, the claimant’s counsel, Michael Lana, presented 14 witnesses, while the defendant’s counsel presented eight witnesses.

The presiding judge, Justice Ganiyu Sunmonu, ruled on Tuesday in favour of PDP and dismissed all claims of the claimants.

Ganiyu said the Adeseun’s counsel could not prove with substantial evidence that the delegates list for the primary was doctored.

The judge said “he who assets must prove.

The claimants must provide the names that were removed, to prove that the list was doctored.”