Hon. Justice C.J Aneke of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Lagos Division has dismissed the case brought before it by the aggrieved members of the Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Dr. Fawole Amos Alabi challenging the outcome of the party congress, which produced Mr. Phillip Aivoji as the state chairman.
Those joined in the suit were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, the State Chairman, Mr. Aivoji Philip and others.
Fawole, who also contested for the position of the chairman of the party during the state congress held on February 27 and 28, 2022 stated in his prayers before the court that the result of the Congress, supervised by the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri should be rejected.
The case was however dismissed for lack of verifiable evidence.
The 11-man Plaintiff in the case cited SUIT NO: FHC/L/CS/654/2022, sought the invalidation of the congress on constitutional grounds, citing a particular aspirant’s eligibility issue among others.
12 questions brought before the Honourable court accompanied with 20 reliefs.
The Hon. Justice C.J Aneke however, dismissed the case having examined the prayers of the plaintiff and the preliminary objection filed by the 40-man defendants on the grounds deposed to in the affidavit of the Plaintiffs in support of the Originating Summons, which they said were violently in conflict with the facts deposed to in the counter affidavit.
Handing down the ruling, Hon. Justice C.J Aneke maintained that: “The result is that the Plaintiffs failed to prove any of the allegations made in this case.
“All the questions framed by the Plaintiffs are resolved against them. Accordingly, all the reliefs also fail.
“Accordingly, the Plaintiffs’ suit is hereby dismissed in its entirety. N500, 000 cost is hereby awarded in favour of the 2nd – 40th Defendants,” he said.