The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo on Wednesday ruled that Senator Ademola Adeleke is the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun 2022 gubernatorial election.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Nathaniel Ayo Emmanuel said Dotun Babayemi could not stand as the party candidate as he did not participate in the PDP primary election.
He added that the court could not pick candidates for any political party, adding that the matter was an internal party issue and therefore the matter was dismissed.
During the PDP gubernatorial primary election held on March 8, the Wale Ojo faction which produced Dotun Babayemi held a parallel primary at the WOCDIF Centre, Osogbo.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised PDP primary held at the Osogbo City Stadium, under the supervision of Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, as Chairman, Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke was declared the winner.
In a list of candidates later released by INEC, Adeleke was recognised as a duly elected candidate of PDP in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.
It was for this reason that Babayemi approached the court to challenge the submission and nomination of Ademola Adeleke by the PDP to INEC and the validity of the primaries conducted at the stadium against the one conducted at WOCDIF.
He had, therefore, prayed the court to recognise him (Babayemi) as the authentic PDP candidate.