The Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday, reserved judgment in a case filed by the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the recently concluded governorship election, Agboola Ajayi, against the deputy governor, Olayide Adelami, over alleged discrepancies in his academic certificates.
Adelami, who was the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, is accused of having conflicting names on his academic credentials.
Ajayi, through his counsel, Mr. M. Ndoka SAN, challenged Adelami’s eligibility to contest as the APC’s deputy governorship candidate, requesting the court to disqualify both Adelami and Aiyedatiwa.
The case was initially filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja but was later transferred to the Akure Division due to territorial jurisdiction.
Adelami, Aiyedatiwa, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as the first, second, third, and fourth defendants in the suit, respectively.
In the originating summons, Ajayi, who was the PDP’s candidate and came second in the election, alleged that the first defendant, Adelami, was known by multiple and inconsistent names, including “Adelami Owolabi Jackson” and “Olaide Owolabi Adelami.”
The plaintiff argued that these discrepancies rendered Adelami ineligible to contest the election.
Ajayi sought a declaration that the APC had no validly nominated governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 2024 election. He also requested an order disqualifying the first and second defendants and restraining INEC from recognising them.
In his defense, Adelami’s counsel, Dr. Remi Olatubora, explained that the discrepancies involved variations in the arrangement of the names, and not fraudulent claims.
He stated that Adelami’s West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate from 1974 bore the name “Adelami Owolabi Jackson,” while his 1982 degree certificate from Ambrose Alli University had “Adelami Olaide Owolabi.”
Olatubora argued that the plaintiffs lacked locus standi to file the suit under Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022, as they were not APC members and did not participate in the party’s primaries. He further contended that the suit was improperly filed as an originating summons, rather than a writ of summons, which is required for cases involving allegations of fraud.
READ ALSO: Ayedatiwa Wins Ondo Governorship Election 2024
The court proceedings were attended by six Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who represented the various parties involved in the case. Dr. Olatubora appeared for Adelami, while Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, represented Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the second defendant.
The APC was represented by Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was represented by Charles Edosan, SAN.
Justice Toyin Adegoke adjourned the case, stating that a judgment date would be communicated to the parties at a later time.
