Clement Adeyi, Osogbo

An Osun State High Court, sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, has fixed August 27, 2018, for the final judgment on the suit challenging the candidacy of the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate in the  September 22 governorship poll, Sen. Iyiola Omisore.

Justice David Oladimeji announced this, on Tuesday, after listening to all arguments by the counsels representing  the plaintiffs and the defendants in the matter.

Two state officers of SDP, Alhaji Rasheed Mayowa and Chief Azeez Alakinde-Ismaila, had approached the court, asking that the national body of the party be stopped from organising any fresh congress in the state and that based on the congress which produced the executives in 2016, their tenure would expire by 2020.

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They also argued that the congress, which produced Sen. Omisore as the party’s candidate was illegal, insisting that it was conducted in violation of two different court orders.

The Applicants’ lawyer, Barr. Olayinka Sokoya, told the court that the matter was beyond the internal running of the party but was premised on the constitution of the party.

He argued that the Defendants’ disposition against his applications before the court should be ignored, noting that disobedience of court orders had rendered every effort by Omisore’s group null and void.

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Sokoya urged the court to sack all the executives elected by the factional SDP congress led by Dr Bayo Faforiji and declare all actions taken by them so far, including the primary election it conducted which produced Senator Omisore as unconstitutional.

He also asked the court to fully restore all powers back to the Chief Ademola Ishola’s executive which produced an Iwo indigene, Barrister Kehinde Atanda, as the governorship candidate of the party.

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Counsel to the National SDP, Barr. Kehinde Adesiyan, asked the court to dismiss in its entirety all the applications filed by the Applicants, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first instance.

Omisore’s lawyer, Barr. Adeyemi Adetife, while aligning himself with Adesiyan, explained that his client had nothing to do with the suit, wondering why he would be joined in the matter before the court.

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barr. Vilba Kinta, also explained that as an umpire in election matters, the body had nothing to do with the internal problem of the party.

Thereafter, Justice Oladimeji, who had earlier ruled that the court would hear all the applications, adjourned the matter to August 27 for final judgment.