AN Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure has declared Mr. James Ololade-Gbegudu as the authentic winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primary election for Okitipupa Constituency II.
It rejected the victory of Mr. Akinwumi Emmanuel as the winner of the Assembly election over non-participation in the primary election.
The defendants in the suit were APC Ondo State Chairman Ade Adetimehin, the party’s State Secretary, Sina Alaye, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Emmanuel.
Ololade-Gbegudu had approached the court to seek an order to compel the party and INEC to recognise him as the authentic APC candidate for the constituency and not Akinwunmi, having won the party’s primary conducted on October 5, last year.
Delivering his judgment that lasted more than two hours, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe held that from all evidence laid before the court by officials of the APC, documentary evidence, including the primary election result sheet adduced by counsel to the plaintiff, Femi Emodamori, showed Ololade-Gbegudu actually won the APC assembly ticket.
Despite the judgment, Justice Adegbehingbe, however, declined to grant other reliefs of the plaintiff that certificate of return earlier issued to Akinwunmi be withdrawn and issues to him.
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