PDP PRIMARY: COURT NULLIFIES SMART ADEYEMI'S ELECTION

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, yesterday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary that produced Senator Smart Adeyemi as the party's candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District in the state.

In his ruling, the trial Judge, Iyang Ekwo said the purportedly held primary did not conform with the 2010 Electoral Act and the PDP constitution. The court ruled that the primary which was held in Kabba on January 28 was originally slated not to exceed the 15th of January, a situation which the court said prevented some genuine party delegates from participating in the primary.

The court, therefore ordered a rerun of the primary to be held at the appropriate venue with the participation of genuine delegates.

The petition was brought before the Court by some aggrieved PDP delegates in Yagba Federal constituency who claimed they were disenfranchised to participate in the Kogi-West Senatorial primary which held in Kabba, headquarter of the district on January 28th.

Reacting to the judgement, Senator Adeyemi said he was surprised over the outcome of the judgement saying he had already instructed his lawyers to file an appeal over the ruling. He said the reason why the party primary held on January 28 was basically the decision taken by the party saying, there were more than 13 states in the federation where such primaries took place beyond January 15 deadline and as such, it was not only in Kogi State.

He appealed to party faithfuls and his numerous supporters to keep calm saying, the national election will still hold in his senatorial district on Saturday. The senatorial primary in the district generated serious argument over which delegates' list was to be used  lead ing to the postponement of the primary.

When the party primary eventually held in Kabba where Smart Adeyemi was elected, his close rival and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Joseph Faniyi claimed that Adeyemi, in connivance with some top PDP Officials hijacked voting materials  while his delegates were waiting at the Lokoja township stadium to cast their votes.

He later joined the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to contest for the general election