Edo: Appeal Court Didn’t Dwell on Defection, But on Jurisdiction, Says PDP Legal Adviser

*Ighodalo files appeal 

*Party insists smear campaigns against candidate in futility

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Despite the fact that the Certified True Copy of the Federal High Court, stated that its judgement did not affect the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in Edo State, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Adeyemi Ajibade, has said the party would appeal the judgement for purposes of clarity.
He said the main purpose of the appeal was to avoid any ambiguity and a repeat of the Zamfara State episode that eventually enthroned Bello Matawalle as governor in 2019.
 The party’s national legal adviser said the party would approach the appeal and supreme courts to clarify any doubt in the party’s governorship primary in Edo State.

 He equally said the party would approach the supreme court on the decision of the court of appeal, as the appellate court only decided on jurisdiction and not on the substantive issues before it
In the same manner, the PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo told THISDAY that he would file appeal against the judgement on Monday.
According to him, “to avoid any ambiguity, I will file my appeal against the Federal High Court judgement on Monday”
Ajibade said the substantive issues were the defection of 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the propriety of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Edo State governorship primary election.

Specifically, the PDP National Legal Adviser said Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja overreached himself in the face of sections 84 (14) of the amended Electoral Act that stated that only aspirants that contested in the primary election could seek redress and not delegates.
On the Court of Appeal that ruled on the fate of the 25  members of the Rivers State House that defected to the APC, Ajibade who was Kwara State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General said, “the ruling of the appellate court was on jurisdiction and not the substantive issue of defection. There is a difference between jurisdiction and hearing the substantive case.”

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),yesterday, said smear campaigns and frivolous litigations aimed to distract Ighodalo were all efforts in futility as he remained the undisputed choice of the majority of the people of Edo State.
The PDP alerted that it was aware of a well-oiled plot by certain egocentric and overtly ambitious individuals to orchestrate a series of coordinated smear campaigns against Ighodalo being frustrated by his emergence as candidate, his overwhelming popularity across the State and the fact that he was already coasting to victory in the election.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, PDP said the party was aware of how angry and bitter individuals had been going around the courts and reportedly attempting to induce certain judicial officers to procure damaging rulings against our candidate.