PDP members urge court to disqualify Obanikoro
Three members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have urged the
Lagos State High Court in Ikeja to disqualify a former defence minister
Musiliu Obanikoro from seeking governorship nomination in the party’s
primaries.
They said having previously presented a forged birth
certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in
the April 2007 election, Obanikoro is ineligible to present himself for nomination.
According to them, official records, such as his Nigerian and
diplomatic passports, show that Obanikoro was born on July 28, 1960, but
he allegedly falsified it to July 28, 1954.
Besides, the applicants
said Obanikoro also allegedly lied in 2007 when he failed to disclose
to INEC that he has dual citizenship.
They prayed the court to
determine whether, having voluntarily acquired the citizenship of the
United States of America in addition to that of Nigeria without
renouncing the former and declaring allegiance to the latter, Obanikoro
is eligible to seek nomination.
The plaintiffs – Michael Ogunsuada,
Suleiman Saheed and Wasiu Odusan – are seeking a declaration that
Obanikoro stands disqualified from aspiring for nomination in PDP’s
governorship primaries or that of any other party for the purposes of
contesting either in next year’s election or subsequent polls by virtue
of his antecedents.
They prayed for an order of perpetual injunction
restraining him from participating in PDP’s governorship primaries
scheduled for December 8.
They also sought an order restraining the
party from nominating Obanikoro to INEC to contest next year’s
governorship election in Lagos or any other election in Nigeria.
The
plaintiffs, who joined Obanikoro, INEC and PDP as respondents, further
sought a restraining order against INEC from accepting Obanikoro’s
nomination by PDP for any election.
In a supporting affidavit filed
on November 14, Ogunsuada said he is a loyal party man who is determined
to ensure that only a high quality candidate and person of character
and competence who fulfils all constitutional requirements is nominated.
“I am likely to be gravely prejudiced if the aspiration for nomination
of the first respondent (Obanikoro) as a candidate in the primaries of
the third respondent (PDP) is not restrained considering his shady
antecedents…,” the deponent said.
The applicants lawyers also filed
an affidavit of urgency praying that the application be heard quickly as
PDP’s screening exercise will hold between November 22 and 25.
They
stated that if the suit is not heard and determined urgently, Obanikoro
may present himself for screening while the applicants “may lose their
rights to challenge the respondents.”
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11/17/2014
PDP members urge court to disqualify Obanikoro
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