In a recent twist, the lawsuit filed by its candidate, Olugbenga Oedema, against the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Olayide Adelami, has been rejected by the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) chapter in Ondo State. The party asked that its name be removed from the lawsuit against Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governor of Ondo State.
Robert Hon, the NNPP’s national legal adviser, wrote a letter to the Federal High Court in Akure, the capital of Ondo State, on Wednesday, claiming that the party had not approved of any lawsuit against Aiyedatiwa and Adelami Deputy’s candidatures. As a result, the party asked that its name be removed from the lawsuit.
The NNPP governorship candidate had, in a suit, asked the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the nomination and the publication of the names of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and his deputy as candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the lawsuit, Edema requested that the court interpret whether Section 15 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution (as amended) applied to the APC candidates’ nominations.
The attorneys for Aiyedatiwa, Adelami, INEC, and APC, however, requested that the court dismiss the lawsuit due to lack of jurisdiction and the plaintiffs’ lack of locus standing.
Adelanke Akinrata, Chief Charles Edosomwan SAN, who represented INEC, Dr. Remi Olatubora SAN, Kola Olawoye SAN, and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN, who represented Governor Aiyedatiwa, were among the defendants’ attorneys.
Adegboruwa, a counsel to Aiyedatiwa, brought to the attention of the court a letter written by the legal adviser of the NNPP that dissociated the party from the suit over the outcome of the APC’s primary that produced Aiyedatiwa as a candidate.
The letter from the office of the National Legal Adviser dated December 10, 2024, and addressed to Adelanke Akinrata titled “Letter of Instructions,” asked the court to delist its name from the suit.
The letter partly reads: “The above-captioned subject matter refers. We hereby brief you to represent our interest in Suit No. FHC/AK/CS/103/2024, wherein we were purported to have sued the defendants as the 2nd Plaintiff. You are specifically instructed to withdraw the name of the 2nd Plaintiff, New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP), from the suit.
“The second plaintiff did not instruct the first plaintiff or anybody to sue the defendants in its name. You are requested to liaise with the office of the National Legal Adviser for further details.”
As a result, Adegboruwa requested that the plaintiff’s attorney abandon the lawsuit so that the court may strike it out.
According to Olatubora’s own argument, the fact that the NNPP’s letter was filed before the court by Peter Olagookun, the party’s state chairman, demonstrated the legitimacy of the party’s stance.
Abayomi Ojo, Edema’s attorney, responded by stating that the candidate was unaware of the letter and would want time to review its contents.
In order to have ample time to reply to the letter, he requested that the case be postponed. The action was filed in November 2024, and the court has five months to make a decision, according to Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke, the presiding judge.
Subsequently, the judge adjourned the case till February 3, 2025, for a hearing.
