The Ondo State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has repudiated the suit founded by its applicant, Olugbenga Edema, challenging the candidature of Lead representative Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) and his deputy, Olayide Adelami.
At the Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital on Wednesday, a letter composed by the National Legal Adviser of NNPP, Robert Hon, expressing that the party did not approved any suit against the bid of Aiyedatiwa and Adelami Deputy was introduced. Thus the party requested that its name be removed from the suit.
The NNPP governorship candidate had, in a suit, requested the court to urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the nomination and the publication of the names of Lead representative Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy as candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Edema, in the suit, requested the court to decipher the applicability of Section 15 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) over the selection of the APC candidates.
In any case, the legal counsels of Aiyedatiwa, Adelami, INEC, and APC requested the court to dismiss the suit for lack of jurisdiction and n the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked locus standing to file it.
The respondents were represented by Dr. Remi Olatubora SAN, Kola Olawoye SAN, and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN, who represented Lead Representative Aiyedatiwa; Chief Charles Edosomwan SAN, who addressed INEC; and Adelanke Akinrata, among others.
Adegboruwa, a counsel to Aiyedatiwa brought to the consideration of the court a letter composed by the legal adviser of the NNPP that separated the party from the suit over the result of the APC’s primary that produced Aiyedatiwa as a candidate.
The letter from the office of the National Legal Adviser dated December 10, 2024, and addressed to Adelanke Akinrata titled “Letter of Instructions,” requested the court to delist its name from the suit.
The letter halfway reads: “The above-subtitled subject matter refers. We thusly brief you to represent our interest in Suit No. FHC/AK/CS/103/2024, wherein we were purported to have sued the litigants as the 2nd Plaintiff. You are explicitly instructed to withdraw the name of the 2nd Plaintiff, New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), from the suit.
“The subsequent offended party did not educate the first plaintiff or anybody to sue the defendants in its name. You are requested to liaise with the office of the National Legal Adviser for further details.”
Thus, Adegboruwa requested the counsel of the plaintiff to withdraw the suit for the court to strike out the case.
In his own contention, Olatubora said the way that the letter by the NNPP was brought to the court by the State Chairman of the party, Peter Olagookun, showed the genuineness of the position of the party.
The legal counsel to Edema, Abayomi Ojo, responded that the candidate was not aware of the letter and would require time to study the content.
He sought an adjournment of the case to have sufficient opportunity to respond to the letter.
The presiding judge, Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke, said the court has five months to arbitrate with regards to this issue, which suit was recorded in November 2024.
In this manner, the judge adjourned the case till February 3, 2025 for a hearing.
