Yayi risks loosing Ogun West Senatorial District ticket as court summons him

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday gives Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, till the 23rd of June next week Wednesday, to show cause, why he will not be restrained from contesting in the 2023 general election.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa summoned the senator while granting a motion exparte filed by some registered voters and members of the Lagos West Senatorial District, who are applicants in a suit numbered FHC/L/CS/822/2022.

The plaintiffs are: Barrister Sanni Said; Engineer Giwa Tijani Sheu; Chief Adesoji Adepoju Martin; Mike Okefuna; Olatunbosun Komolafe; Mrs. Sanni Oluwatoyin; Ibrahim Fatai; Bolaji Durojaiye and AbdulKareem Idowu

While other defendants alongside Senator Adeola are: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); the All Progressive Congress (APC) and National Assembly.

The plaintiffs had approached the court for the Exparte Order, under order 38 Rule 2 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 and under the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs through their counsel, Mr. Seni Adio who led Yakubu Eleto, had asked the court for an order of interim injunction restraining APC from submitting the name of Senator Solomon Adeola popularly called Yayi to the INEC as its flagbearer, in the 2023 general election of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the Senator is still a serving Senator representing their Senatorial District at the National Assembly, the action they said is in breach of the provisions of Sections 6(6)c, 65 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Article 2, 9 and 20 of the All Progressives Congress Constitution Section 14 (3) of the Federal Character Commission Act and Section 30 of the Electoral Act 2022 pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion.

Justice Lewis-Allagoa after listening to Mr. Adio (SAN), who moved the Plaintiffs’ application dated June 14, 2022, ordered all Senator Solomon Adeola, to appear before the court and show cause why he should not be restrained from participating in the 2023 general elections.

Further hearing of the matter has been fixed for June 22, 2023.

The Plaintiffs in their affidavit in support of the Motion Exparte deposed to by Ijaoba Ismaila, a lawyer in the law firm of Yakubu Eleto Chambers, recently, Senator Solomon Adeola claimed to receive a nomination form to contest the primary election as Senator Representing Ogun West Senatorial District of Ogun State Nigeria while still a serving Senator representing Lagos West at the National Assembly. And that he subsequently contested the primary elections of the APC in Ogun West Senatorial District on  May 27, 2022, despite the pendency of this suit while also still a serving Senator in Lagos West Senatorial District.

The deponent stated that the Senator’s acceptance of the nomination form and contesting the primary elections in Ogun West while still, a Senator Representing Lagos West at the National Assembly is a breach of the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other enabling statutes regulating the conduct of elections in Nigeria. This he said for the Senator’s acceptance to have contested the election in Ogun West Senatorial District while still a serving Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, means abandoning his elected position, therefore, leaving the people of Lagos West without representation at the National Assembly.

The deponent while citing the Constitution of Nigeria, stated that the Senator has been granting press interviews informing the whole world that he is back to his root and no longer interested in Lagos West. And that by Section 65 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to contest election as a Senator in Nigeria, you must be a member of a political party.

He stated that the move to run for election in Ogun West Senatorial District, while still a serving Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District has no constitutional recognition or validity and it’s a deprival of the rights of the people of Lagos West representation in the National Assembly. And that due to the declaration of interest to contest election in Ogun West Senatorial District while still, a sitting Senator in Lagos West Senatorial District is pure political prostitution and unknown to our laws.

 He stated further that the declaration of interest to contest the elections in Ogun West Senatorial district while still, a serving Senator representing Lagos West at the National Assembly will deny the people of Lagos West proper representation in Lagos West Senatorial District in Lagos State. And that the Senator has already won the primary election in Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State while still a sitting Senator representing Lagos West at the National Assembly based on the unconstitutionally political flintiness and greed.

The deponent stated that since 1999 Senator Solomon Adeola has been representing the Awori people of Lagos State and the same time keeping his vigilance in Ogun West Senatorial District denying indigenes of Lagos West in Lagos State the right to represent themselves at the offices he has been occupying and it left so many citizens unrepresented and the said poor representation is now manifesting itself.  And that if he is allowed to go ahead and contest the general elections in Ogun West Senatorial District, Ogun State while still, a serving Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District in the Senate will rob the plaintiffs/Applicants and many indigenes and citizens of Lagos West Senatorial District the right to be represented at the National Assembly.

He said the acts of the Senator have caused a lack of representation to the people of Lagos West at the National Assembly and as such ‘we are like orphans without senatorial representation’ at the National Assembly and they have suffered damages.

He stated that if the APC is not restrained by the Court from submitting the Senator’s name to the INEC and further participating in the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria it will cause a great embarrassment to Nigeria.

The deponent while making an undertake to pay damages to the Senator if at the end of the day this application ought not to have been granted. Also stated that the Senator will not be prejudiced by the grant of this application and that it will be in the interest of justice to grant this application.