PDP Jubilates Over Court Of Appeal’s Ruling Affirming Ighodalo’s Candidacy
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Campaign Council for the upcoming gubernatorial election, scheduled for September 21, 2024, has expressed satisfaction with the recent Court of Appeal judgment that affirmed the candidacy of Asue Ighodalo as the party’s flag bearer.
Pastor Olu Martin, the Deputy Director-General of Media and Publicity for the Asue-Ogie Campaign Management Council, responded to the ruling in Benin City, the Edo State capital. He emphasised the party’s contentment with the judiciary’s decision, which he said had thwarted any attempts by political parties, particularly the All Progressives Congress (APC), to gain power through unconventional means.
Martin commended the judiciary for dismissing efforts by the APC to challenge the PDP’s candidate. He criticized the earlier judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had raised concerns over Ighodalo’s candidacy due to alleged irregularities in the party’s primary process. Martin described that initial judgment as an “academic exercise” that did not affect the legitimacy of the PDP’s primary or its chosen candidate.
He further emphasized that the Court of Appeal’s ruling reinforces the principle that parties not directly involved in the primary process have no standing to contest its outcome. Martin also accused the APC of lacking a substantive manifesto, suggesting that the party had relied more on undermining their opponents rather than engaging in constructive campaigning.
The Court of Appeal’s decision overturned the earlier July 4, 2024, ruling by Justice Ekwo, which had questioned Ighodalo’s emergence as the PDP candidate due to claims that the party had excluded 381 ad-hoc delegates from its primary election. The appellate court ruled that the lower court lacked jurisdiction in the matter and affirmed that the PDP’s candidate selection process was not subject to external interference.
Martin hailed the Court of Appeal’s decision as a triumph for democracy and expressed hope that the APC and its candidate would now focus on presenting a concrete manifesto and addressing the real issues affecting the state.
