Appeal court upholds Ondo APC’s Adefarati election victory

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo state capital, on Wednesday, validated the nomination of Adegboyega Adefarati as the candidate of the House of Representatives for the All Progressives Congress at the last February 25, 2023, election.

The State High Court earlier nullified the candidacy of Adefarati as the court dismissed the primary of the APC where he emerged as the candidate for the House of Representatives election.

The lower court declared that the APC had no candidate for the 2023 House of Representatives election in the Federal Constituency and restrained Adefarati and the party from parading him as the flagbearer of the party in the election.

However, Adefarati approached the appellate court to challenge the decision of the lower court and contested the February 25th, 2023 election where the party was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

In the judgement delivered by Justice Yusuf Bashir, the court said the lower court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit because the originating summon was not properly signed.

The court held that it was a wrong practice to commence the suit with originating summons but instead by writ of summon, adding that the lower court ought not to have entertained the suit and lacked jurisdiction and locus.

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