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LOYALISTS of former Ogun State governor, Chief Segun Osoba, whose names were initially submitted as Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chairmanship candidates for the July 21 local government election before they were substituted with names of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s loyalists, yesterday headed for the court.
The 17 aspirants dragged the party leadership and Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) before an Abeokuta High Court.
The candidates, who claimed their names were originally submitted to the electoral body by the ACN leadership, filed the suit seeking an injunction restraining OGSIEC from recognising any other persons apart from them as the candidates for chairmanship positions in the forthcoming election in their respective local governments.
In the suit filed by their counsel, Isaiah Okoigi, the “original” candidates also sought for such further orders the court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.
The claimants include Abiodun Ogunremi Oluwaseun (Obafemi Owode), Moshood Okanlawon Akinyele (Abeokuta South), Musiliu Akindele (Odeda), Folorunso Sotubo (Sagamu), Samuel Olusegun Idowu (Remo North), Isiaka Oluwole Ojuroye (Ikenne), Wale Balogun (Ijebu North), Nathaniel Adewale Sodipo (Ewekoro), Soliu Ayinde Falade (Ipokia).
Others are Isaq Alao Adesanya (Abeokuta North), Gabriel Ayinde Falola (Yewa North), Sunday Bankole (Ifo), Shamsudeen Olaide Onanuga (Ijebu-Ode), Ismaila Ishola Sanusi (Imeko Afon), Olaotan Babatunde Odunayo (Yewa South) and Mustapha Sikiru Kunle (Ado-Odo/Ota).
Joined in the suit as defendants are OGSIEC, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello (Ogun ACN Chairman), ACN, Mr Rokib Adeniji (Ogun ACN Screening Committee) and Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso (Ogun ACN Secretary).
No date has been fixed yet for hearing of the suit.
It will be recalled that ACN leaders and members loyal to Osoba recently disowned the list of candidates allegedly imposed on the party by Amosun.
The party faithful maintained that a letter dated June 15, 2012 and signed by ACN State Secretary, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso, contained names of chairmanship and councillorship candidates originally submitted to OGSIEC.
They added that Amosun’s list of candidates was forwarded to the electoral body on June 18 in utter disregard for the party’s Constitution.
Meanwhile, the original chairmanship candidates yesterday justified their legal action and vowed to work against the interest of their party at the forthcoming local government polls.
In a communique issued at the end of their emergency meeting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the aggrieved candidates expressed displeasure at the imposition by Amosun.
They also demanded comments from the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over Amosun’s claims that he had their (Akande and Tinubu) blessing for the imposition in Ogun ACN.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Shamsudeen Olaide Onanuga said the emergency meeting was called to express their position on the imposition of “unknown and unaccepted” candidates by the governor.
Onanuga also rejected last Friday’s harmonisation meeting convened by Amosun at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta for the adoption of his candidates.
“The meeting believes that the party is supreme and the governor has nothing to do with the supremacy of our party constitution.
The meeting believes and adopts Article 21 and Section 21.5 of the ACN Constitution,” he said.
Onanuga urged the governor and concerned party leaders to reverse the imposition and respect popular wishes at various local government areas.
He, however, expressed the readiness of the original candidates to work against the party in the council elections “if the governor refuses to reverse the imposition of candidates on us.”
-Courtesy Nigerian Compass
