Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Philip Shaibu, the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, and others.
They sought to invalidate Asue Ighodalo’s candidacy as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nominee for the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that the suit, which alleged that Ighodalo forged his voter’s card, was barred by statute. The judge noted that the suit, categorized as a pre-election matter, was filed beyond the 14-day period stipulated under Section 285(9) of the Constitution.
Furthermore, Justice Omotosho emphasized that while forgery or the lack of a voter’s card could disqualify a candidate under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiffs failed to substantiate their claim that Ighodalo had forged his voter’s card.
Consequently, the court dismissed the case for lack of merit.
Additionally, Justice Omotosho ruled that Shaibu did not have the standing to challenge the PDP primary that nominated Ighodalo, as he did not participate in the primary process.