Public Notice: Federal High Court Nullifies PDP Gubernatorial Primary in Edo State

The Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Hon. Justice Ekwo entered a judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/165 of
2024 (HON. KELVIN MOHAMMED & 2 ORS VS INEC & 3 ORS), which was filed by some disgruntled persons who claimed that they were authentic delegates wrongly excluded from participating in the choice of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flagbearer in the forthcoming
gubernatorial elections in Edo State.

In a strange development and contrary to a long line of Appellate Courts’ decision on the subject, the Hon. Justice held that the issue of ward congresses and choice of the delegates, is a justiciable matter which the
court is entitled to look into.

It must be noted that the Edo State PDP and the specific court involved in this matter have a history on exactly this same point in which theAppellate Court had cause to set aside similar decisions of that same Court
and to restate the law that ward congresses and the choice of delegates are
purely internal affairs of political parties outside the jurisdiction of any
court.

We are confident that this new decision will not survive the test of appeal
and all necessary steps in that regard are already being actively pursued.
Furthermore, it must be noted that the claim in question and the judgment
which arose therefrom did not in any shape or form invalidate or even
challenge the outcome of the PARTY PRIMARIES which produced the
candidate of the PDP for the forthcoming elections.

The net result therefore is that contrary to the stories making the rounds,
spread by mischief makers, the PDP primaries held on February 22, 2024,
were not set aside and neither was any order given affecting the outcome
of same Members and supporters of the PDP as well as the good people of Edo
State are enjoined to remain calm and ignore the antics of mischief makers