PDP primary: Court throws out suit seeking Ondo Deputy Governor’s disqualification

An Akure High Court has thrown out a motion seeking to stop the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Mr Agboola Ajayi, from contesting the primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scheduled for Wednesday.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Bode Adegbehingbe, threw out the motion ex parte filed by a member of the party on Tuesday in Akure and asked him to serve the necessary parties instead of seeking for the motion.
The PDP member, Mr Olopele Timi, had, through his counsel, Akpofiweii Anthony, sought the disqualification of the deputy governor over allegation that his certificate was forged.
The ex parte motion, brought before the court, was instituted with the originating summon, dated July 17, with Suit No. AK/45M/2020.
Olopele, in the suit, dragged Ajayi, a gubernatorial aspirant, before the court, seeking his disqualification from the primary election of the PDP.
He said that Ajayi had breached the code of conduct for public officers and should, therefore, be banned from holding any public office for a maximum period of 10 years.
The claimant averred that the deputy governor had consistently acted in breach of Section 1, 5th Schedule, Part 1, of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
He also hinged his prayers for the disqualification of Ajayi on his alleged breach of the provisions of the regulations of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) Act.
Adegbehingbe, however, dismissed the ex parte motion and fixed the hearing of the substantive suit for July 30.