Ekiti 2022: Court dismisses suit challenging Oyebanji’s nomination at APC primaries

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed a suit filed by a governorship aspirant in the 27 January All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, Kayode Ojo, challenging the nomination of the Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji.  The court upheld the preliminary objection of the counsel to Oyebanji, Mr. Kabir Akingbolu, that the writ of summons […]

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed a suit filed by a governorship aspirant in the 27 January All Progressives Congress (APC) primary, Kayode Ojo, challenging the nomination of the Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji. 

The court upheld the preliminary objection of the counsel to Oyebanji, Mr. Kabir Akingbolu, that the writ of summons and statement of claims of Ojo was defective.  

In a judgment delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Babs Kuewumi, yesterday, the court dismissed Ojo’s case and agreed with Oyebanji’s counsel that the discrepancies in the originating processes had rendered the case academic. 

Justice Kuewumi held that the names of counsel on the plaintiff’s originating summons and statement and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) stamp ran contrary, which is against the law, rendering the suit defective and incompetent. 

While the name on the NBA stamp of one of the lawyers of Mr Ojo read “Moroof Bolanle,” the one that appeared on the list of lawyers submitted for the case read “Olayinka Bolanle.” 

According to the judge, further scrutiny of the plaintiff’s writ of summons and statement of claim revealed two different signatures, which rendered the suit invalid.