The lawsuit seeking the disqualification of Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola from contesting for the Ogun West Senatorial seat of Ogun State, under the political party of the All-Progressives Congress -APC, in the 2023 general elections began yesterday at the Federal High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The plaintiffs: Johnson Akinsanya Akindele, Moses Babalola Oluwasaanu and Taiwo Akanbi Orobiyi who filed the suit are seeking the order of the Court to disqualify Senator Adeola from contesting the election, because he is at present, a serving Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial district in the National Assembly.
Other defendants in suit number FHC/ABK5/132/22 are the APC, Independent National Electoral Commission, -INEC, and the National Assembly.
When the matter was brought up for hearing on Wednesday, the plaintiffs who in sworn affidavits claimed to be members of the APC were represented by Counsel Seni Adio, SAN, but Senator Adeola’s counsel, Bode Olanipekun, SAN, told the court that the case did not qualify as a pre-election issue under the 1999 constitution.
Olanipekun argued that it was only an aspirant or a political party that was entitled to file a pre-election case, positing that none of the plaintiffs fit into the categories of who should file a pre-election matter.
Countering, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, Seni Adio, SAN maintained that the case is qualified to be treated as a pre-election issue, saying that it was a constitutional action and a test case.
The court after hearing the arguments and counter-arguments of the two counsels adjourned further proceedings to September 29, 2022.
