Oladipupo Adebutu was confirmed as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor of Ogun State by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The statement was released by the apex court in its decision regarding an appeal filed by Jimi Lawal, the party’s candidate for governor of the state.
Due to alleged irregularities in the process, Lawal has challenged the May 25, 2022 governorship primary that had produced Adebutu as the PDP candidate in the state.
He asserted in his lawsuit, which was filed in the Federal High Court of Abuja, that the names on the list of delegates for the exercise did not match those of the individuals chosen at the last year’s ward congresses.
The plaintiff urged the court to nullify the exercise and order a fresh one in the state.
However, the court and the Appeal Court also in Abuja dismissed the case for lack of merit.
Dissatisfied with both rulings, the aggrieved aspirant approached the Supreme Court to set them aside.
At Tuesday’s proceeding, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun dismissed three other appeals filed by some PDP ward delegates in the state on the grounds that they failed to disclose a reasonable cause of action.
The Supreme Court held that the delegates who claimed they were prevented from taking part in the primary election that produced Adebutu as the party’s candidate could not initiate any court action against the outcome of the election since they were not aspirants.
The panel declared that only an aspirant that participated in a primary election organised by a political party can lawfully challenge its outcome.