A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu and three others, seeking to nullify Asue Ighodalo’s nomination as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate. Justice James Omotosho ruled that the suit, which challenged Ighodalo’s nomination on the grounds of alleged voter card forgery, was statute-barred.
The court found that the suit was filed outside the 14-day period allowed for pre-election cases under Section 285(9) of the Constitution. According to Justice Omotosho, the plaintiffs filed the suit on April 7, beyond the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for submitting candidates' personal information, which was March 1 to 24.
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Additionally, the judge noted that even if the suit had been timely, the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove that Ighodalo had forged his voter’s card. Consequently, the court dismissed the case on both procedural and substantive grounds.
