EDO 2024: IGHODALO REMAINS CANDIDATE OF PDP _APPEAL COURT 

BY PETERS MONDAY, ABUJA

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the People Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary in Edo State, selecting Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate for the September 21 election.

The Appeal Court overturned the July 4 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which criticized the conduct of the PDP primaries.

A three-member panel of the appellate court granted the appeal, referencing CA/ABJ/CV/763/24, filed by the PDP against the July 4 ruling.

The court determined that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear and decide the case brought by Hon. Kelvin Mohammed and two others, who claimed to represent the 378 ad-hoc ward delegates elected on February 4.

The court concluded that the matter raised was a pre-primary issue related to the internal processes of the PDP concerning the nomination of its candidate, which meant the Federal High Court should not have entertained the lawsuit.

Furthermore, it found that Mohammed and the other plaintiffs lacked legal standing to approach the court since they were not aspirants who participated in the primary and did not intend to contest for any political office.

The court stated, “The lower court has no jurisdiction to interfere with how the PDP conducts its internal affairs. The appeal succeeds. The judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on July 4, 2024, is set aside for lack of jurisdiction.”