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Ekiti Election: Court Dismisses Oni’s Suit Challenging Fayemi’s Victory

  A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed the suit challenging the eligibility of Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, to contest the … Continue reading Ekiti Election: Court Dismisses Oni’s Suit Challenging Fayemi’s Victory


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Governor Kayode Fayemi (file)
Ekiti Election: Court Dismisses Oni's Suit Challenging Fayemi's Victory
Governor Kayode Fayemi (file)

 

A Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti has dismissed the suit challenging the eligibility of Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, to contest the governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Agomoh Uche dismissed the suit on Monday while ruling on the case in the state capital.

Former governor of the state, Mr Segun Oni, who filed the suit queried Governor Fayemi’s eligibility to have contested the May 12 governorship primary of the party.

He had prayed the court to nullify Fayemi’s victory and nomination as the party’s candidate and declare him the validly elected candidate of the party for its primary and by extension, the July 14 governorship poll.

Oni premised his prayer on the argument that Fayemi did not resign his appointment as Minister of Mines and Steel Development, 30 days to the party’s governorship primaries in Ekiti as constitutionally stipulated.

The suit also sought to have Governor Fayemi disqualified following his indictment by a judicial panel of inquiry set up by the last administration in the state.

Justice Uche, however, ruled that Governor Fayemi was at the time a political appointee and not a public servant who was expected to have compulsorily resigned according to the set deadline.

She also held that the governor’s indictment by a judicial panel of inquiry in the state does not amount to conviction and thus, could not warrant his disqualification from contesting as an aspirant in the primaries.

The judge, thereafter, dismissed the case for lacking in merit.

Governor Fayemi had defeated his closest rival in the APC primary after polling the highest number of votes to win the exercise.