Appeal Court: Saraki’s Candidate Secures Seat At Kwara Assembly
Appeal Court sitting in Ilorin has ordered Kwara State House of Assembly to swear-in a loyalist of Senator Bukola Saraki and the only PDP Member-elect, Jimoh Abdulraheem Agboola
The Court of Appeal affirmed similarly judgment delivered in November 2019.
The Court had declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon Jimoh AbdulRaheem Agboola as winner of Ilorin South State Constituency election.
The Judge ruled that Hon Azeez Elewu Oluwanilo was never a candidate in March 9 Assembly poll as the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not submit his name to INEC .
The Court held that swapping of certificate of Return by Kwara APC to Oluwanilo is not only unlawful but null and void.
Appeal Court Sacks APC Lawmaker in Kwara, Declares PDP Candidate Winner
The Judge ruled that Oluwanilo’s Prayer to be joined has no substance and mere conjectures to the law and therefore discarded for lacking merit
The court while dismissing the suit also award a damage of N200,000 against APC Lawmaker for bringing such an irrelevant issues to court .
The Appeal court had on November 12, 2019 ruled that APC didn’t have a candidate for the election. ‘…thus the next candidate that scored the next highest votes which is the PDP candidate by name, Jimoh Raheem Agboola be declared’
Agboola who is now the only PDP member-elect challenged the eligibility of APC candidate and his party nomination process at the tribunal.
The Election Tribunal judgement to conduct fresh election in Ilorin south state constituency was upturned by Appeal Court.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission in December 2019 issued Certificate of Return to Agboola in compliance with Court’s directives.