By our Reporter
A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Friday, annulled the primary of the African Democratic Congress for the governorship candidate in the state, Biyi Otegbeye, and 26 Assembly candidates of the party.
The presiding Judge, Justice Adetayo Aluko, who annulled the primary also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to remove all the names of the 26 candidates from its website.
The court said the ADC failed to adhere to the electoral law.
The Labour Party in the state had dragged the ADC candidates to court over alleged non-compliance to the Electoral Act in the conduct of the party’s primary.
While delivering the judgement, Justice Aluko held that the primary election which produced Otegbeye and the state Assembly candidates was not monitored by INEC.
The court affirmed that the primary elections were held in violation of the Electoral Act.
The court ruled that Otegbeye and the Assembly candidates were not the valid candidates of the ADC for the 2023 governorship and state Assembly elections.
The court, however, said the first defendant and INEC had right of an appeal.
He said the order also goes for other Assembly candidates of the ADC in the state.