Two separate lawsuits seeking to disqualify Asue Ighodalo as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Edo 2024 governorship race were thrown out by the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.
The plaintiffs contested the validity of the primary election that saw Ighodalo emerge as the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate for the Edo election.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, presiding over the cases, ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to initiate the action. The first suit, labeled FHC/ABJ/CS/195/2024, was filed by Adizetu Umoru, while the second, FHC/ABJ/CS/196/2024, was brought by Moses Alabi and Christopher Oboarer.
These plaintiffs named the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Umar Damagu (acting national chairman), Setonji Koshoedo, PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC), and its National Executive Committee (NEC) as defendants.
INEC had announced that the Edo governorship election was slated for September 21, 2023. In their separate ex-parte motions dated and filed on February 19, the three plaintiffs sought interim court orders to halt the use of the list of ward congresses held on February 4 for the PDP primary in Edo State, scheduled for February 22 or any subsequent date, pending the determination of the main lawsuit.
