Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the impeached Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, and others, which sought to nullify the nomination of Asue Ighodalo as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the upcoming governorship election in Edo State.
In his judgment, Justice Omotosho ruled that the suit was statute-barred, noting that it was filed outside the 14-day window permitted for pre-election cases under Section 285(9) of the Constitution. The plaintiffs had challenged Ighodalo’s qualification, alleging that he had forged his voter’s card.
The judge further stated that while forgery or non-possession of a voter’s card is a disqualifying factor under Section 182 of the Constitution, the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Ighodalo had forged his voter’s card. Consequently, the case was dismissed for lacking merit.
Additionally, the court ruled that Shaibu did not have the standing to challenge the primary that produced Ighodalo, as he did not participate in the exercise.
