2023: Aspirant asks court to nullify Kola Abiola’s emergence as PRP presidential candidate

A female presidential aspirant, Patience Ndidi Key, has urged a Federal High Court, Abuja to nullify the June 5, primaries that produced Kola Abiola as the People’s Redemption Party (PRP)’s presidential candidate.

Key, in the originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1001/2022, also prayed for an order setting aside the declaration of Abiola as the winner of the primaries conducted across the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Kola is the son of late MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 1993 presidential election.

The plaintiff had sued the party, Mr Latifu Kolawole Abiola and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.

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In the application dated and filed on June 28 by her lawyer, the frontline politician alleged that the June 5 presidential primary election was conducted in gross violations of the party’s guidelines, “the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 and INEC’s guidelines in the nomination or sponsorship of the 2nd defendant (Abiola) as candidate of the 1st defendant (PRP) in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election.”

She, therefore, asked the court for an order restraining Abiola from parading himself as the winner of the primaries.

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The plaintiff, who prayed the court for an order declaring her as the valid winner of the presidential primary election of the party conducted on June 5, also sought an order directing the party to substitute Abiola’s name with hers and submit same to INEC as PRP’s presidential candidate.

When the matter was called on Tuesday, counsel for the plaintiff, Ibrahim Audu, informed that he had been unable to serve the 2nd defendant (Abiola) with the amended originating summons.

NAN reports that though lawyer to the PRP, Jully Anyata, was in court, no counsel appeared for Abiola and INEC.

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Audu then told the court that he had a motion ex-parte dated Aug. 4 and filed Aug. 5, seeking for a substituted service of the amended originating summons on Abiola and an application seeking for leave to amend their originating summons.

But Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the amended application ought to be properly filed and served on the defendants in the suit.

The judge consequently adjourned the matter till Sept. 7 for further mention.(NAN)