The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed Ekiti State Governor, Abiodun Oyebanji, as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election.
Lazeera News reports that the appellate court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, dismissed an appeal filed by an APC member, Mrs Abimbola Olawumi, who challenged the outcome of the party’s primary election.
A three-member panel of the court, led by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, held that the appeal was incompetent.
The Court of Appeal found that Olawumi’s brief of argument was filed in contravention of the court’s rules, having exceeded the number of pages allowed.
The court consequently held that the appeal was unsupported by valid arguments and was therefore incompetent.
The ruling effectively cleared the way for Oyebanji to remain the APC candidate in the governorship poll. The appellate court also allowed the cross-appeal filed by Oyebanji.
It held that the trial court was wrong when it ruled that Olawumi qualified to be classified as an aspirant within the contemplation of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.
Lazeera News understands that the judgment has put to rest, at the appellate level, the dispute over Oyebanji’s nomination as the APC candidate ahead of the election scheduled for Saturday.
