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Exclusive: Court fixes Nov 8 to hear PDP suit against Gov Ahmed, KWSIEC

 

By Mumini AbdulKareem

A High Court in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Tuesday, fixed November 8, 2017 to hear the suit brought before it by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and three other political parties, challenging the conduct of the forthcoming local government election slated for November 18, National Pilot can authoritatively report.
Confirming the date for the hearing to this medium, last night, counsel to the PDP, Barr. Sambo Murtala from Jawondo chambers said the new development was the outcome of the decision of the court on Tuesday.
The case is to be handled by Justice Halima Saleeman.
In a telephone chat with Murtala last night, he said all the concerned parties in the suit have been served the court processes adding that, “We got the date from the High Court on Tuesday and it will now come up on Wednesday November 8th, 2017.
“We have served all the parties involved, the court processes, the Governor through the Justice Ministry and Chairman of Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWSIEC), Dr Uthman Ajidagba, personally. We also served the commission separately,” he added.
All efforts to get Ajidagba’s reaction to the issue last night proved abortive as several calls and text message sent to his telephone line were not answered or replied before the paper went to bed.
The state chapter of the PDP and the other affected political parties had dragged Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and the chairman of KWSIEC to court in a suit challenging the competence of Ajidagba, to superintend the council poll.
The other disaffected parties are allegedly the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Kowa Party (KP) and the Labour Party (LP).
Speaking on the issue last night, the state chairman of ADP, Comrade Adeshina Ajisafe said the party is ready to make necessary sacrifice to improve the political process in the state.
The suit numbered (KWS/350/2017) was filed on the parties’ behalf last Wednesday.
The complainants are praying the court to determine whether or not the participation of Dr. Ajidagba in a radio programme, APC Gberede, sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Harmony FM Radio Station, Idofian, is justifiable.
The suit also wants the court to determine whether it was right for Dr. Ajidagba to have gone to the radio station to respond to allegations of bias levelled against him by the PDP on September 21.
According to him, the KWSIEC Chairman’s alleged participation in the radio program carries the strong possibility of bias against the four political parties in the forthcoming council polls adding that if the answers to his prayers are in the affirmative, the court should declare KWSIEC and Ajidgaba as incapable of conducting credible elections, given his affiliation to the ruling APC.
The applicants’ lawyer is also seeking an order directing Gov Ahmed to remove Dr. Ajidagba as KWSIEC Chairman and replace him with a credible person to conduct the poll.


…as Prof Oba keeps mum over alleged senatorial ambition

By Mumini AbdulKareem

A chieftain of the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former gubernatorial aspirant, Prof. Shuaib Abdulraheem Oba, last night, refused to comment on his alleged senatorial ambition come 2019.
Oba, is said to be interested in the senatorial race following feelers that the PDP may look for someone that is “untainted and with age on his side” to give the ruling APC a tough challenge for the gubernatorial race.
Already, the issue has attracted divided opinions from his supporters and other PDP loyalists in the social media and other platforms of the party.
While some are of the view that the professor should go all out to pursue the senate ticket, others expressed the opinion that he should rather be steadfast in the race for the governorship ticket.
Oba is from Adewole ward in Ilorin West, Kwara Central region and will have the likes of the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki of the ruling APC to contend with in the race for who gets the ticket.
Saraki defeated AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq for the seat in the 2015 contest, a result that was later validated by the court.
But Oba last night kept mum over the issue when our reporter sought his opinion.
Several calls and text sent to him line on Tuesday which was also repeated last night were not answered.
Recall that the former vice chancellor of the University of Ilorin reportedly resigned his plum job as the chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to pursue his long nursed governorship ambition in 2015.

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