KWHA Election: Court strikes out APC lawmaker’s appeal, orders immediate swearing-in of PDP candidate
…triumph of justice over anti-democratic, oppressive forces - PDP
By Mumini AbdulKareem
The Federal High Court sitting in Ilorin on Thursday upheld the victory of Raheem Jimoh Agboola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the duly elected representative of Ilorin South state constituency.
The sacked Kwara State lawmaker, representing Ilorin South Constituency, Abdulazeez Elewu, had approached the court to determine the legality of the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to withdraw his Certificate of Return and issue a new one to Abdulraheem Agboola, who was the second runner up in the March 9th, 2019 State Assembly election.
Justice Babagana Achiga while reading his judgement struck out the appeal filed by the All Progressive Congress’ AbdulAzeez Elewu for lack of merit, describing it as gross abuse of court processes.
The court also directed the Kwara Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Salihu Danladi Yakubu to immediately swear in Agboola as the member representing Ilorin South constituency.
Recall that the Court of Appeal in Ilorin last year precisely 13th Nov 2019, declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate for Ilorin South state constituency in the last general election, Hon. Abdulraheem Agboola, as duly elected.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Hamman Barkar Hkawu, therefore sacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Abdulazeez Oluwanilo, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue the PDP candidate with the Certificate of Return.
The court based its decision on the disputed APC primaries which produced Abdulsalam, and was later replaced with a 28-year-old Abdulazeez Elewu (Oluwanilo).
The Appeal Court held that APC has no valid candidate for the 2019 House of Assembly elections, and thereby declared the candidate with the second highest votes, which is the PDP candidate, Agboola, winner.
The PDP candidate had challenged the eligibility of APC candidate and his party nomination process at the tribunal.
The election tribunal had earlier ordered for fresh election in Ilorin South state constituency.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ali Ahmad, who represented Ilorin South in the eighth Assembly, have congratulated Agboola, stressing that he would be one of the ranking members in the Assembly.
According to Ahmad, “This is to congratulate my brother on his deserved victory at the Court of Appeal to represent my constituency in the Assembly. It’s all about Kwara State, and as the second most ranking member in the Assembly, I hope they both provide clear path to good governance.”
Also, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated its member, Agboola, on his victory at the Appeal Court against Oluwanilo of APC. In a statement issued in Ilorin, the Kwara State PDP Chairman, Hon. Kola Shittu, described the court’s ruling as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, describing the APC as a party that promotes manipulations and all sort of illegalities.
Shittu also commended Agboola for his resilience and determination to pursue justice to a logical end, and also hailed the Appeal Court justices for setting aside interests of manipulative forces and ensuring that justice was duly served
…triumph of justice over anti-democratic, oppressive forces – PDP
By Mumini AbdulKareem
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has hailed the judgement of a Federal High Court in Ilorin, which upheld the victory of its candidate, Raheem Agboola as the duly elected representative of Ilorin South State constituency.
The Court had on Thursday, dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Abdulazeez Elewu for lacking in merit and thereby affirmed the judgment of the Appeal Court.
A statement by the State Chairman of the PDP, Engr. Kola Shittu said the court’s verdict had not only validated the ruling of the Appeal Court but had also shown that illegality cannot and should not be allowed to stand.
According to the chairman, the ruling is a triumph of justice and the will of the people over anti-democratic and oppressive forces, who believe they can abuse power and disobey court orders at will.
“The Kwara PDP calls on the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly to respect the rule of law by swearing in Hon. Abdulraheem Agboola as the duly elected representative of Ilorin South State constituency in the Assembly.
“The party congratulates Agboola on his victory at the Court and also commended his conduct and show of maturity since the commencement of the court process.
“We also commend the High Court for upholding the victory of our candidate and restoring the confidence reposed on the judiciary as the last hope of the common man,” the statement added.
