A chairmanship aspirant in Shomolu Local Government Area of Lagos and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Rotimi Olowo, has dragged the party to court over the controversial outcome of the May 10 party primary election.
Olowo, a former lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, filed the suit at the Lagos High Court sitting in Yaba, seeking to be declared winner of the primary and for the court to compel the party to produce all electoral materials used during the process.
At the court session on Tuesday, presided over by Honourable Justice Mojisola Balogun, the judge granted the claimant’s request to serve the first to fourth defendants through WhatsApp and ordered that photographic evidence of service and device printouts be presented to the court.
“The first to the fourth defendants shall be served by WhatsApp, and this honourable court shall receive photographic evidence, a printout from the device used in serving them,” Justice Balogun ruled.
None of the defendants were present in court. The defendants include Ashimi Lateef, the declared winner of the disputed primary; Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee, Babatunde Ogala (SAN); Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN) who is also the chairman of the Appeal Committee; and the party itself.
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), however, has already been served. Although the electoral body was also not represente in court.
Olowo’s lead counsel, Philip Jimoh Lasisi (SAN), told journalists after the court session that his client is seeking two key reliefs: that the court declare him the rightful winner of the election, and that all electoral materials be brought before the court for scrutiny.
“The result declared was more than the number of eligible voters,” Lasisi said. “There were only 25 accredited voters, yet 26 votes were declared. 23 for Ashimi Lateef, 3 for another aspirant, Bowale Sosimi, and zero for Olowo and 15 others. That’s statistically impossible.”
Justice Balogun adjourned the matter to July 7 for accelerated hearing.
The APC primary, held on May 10 at the party’s state secretariat in Ikeja, has sparked widespread criticism and protest within the party in Shomolu. Party members and residents staged a protest in May, rejecting the outcome and alleging that the process was manipulated to impose Ashimi Lateef as the party’s flagbearer.
Protesters insisted that Olowo, widely regarded as the people’s choice, could not have scored zero in a free and fair contest, pointing to his popularity and record as a former lawmaker.
The case comes just weeks before the Lagos local government elections scheduled for July 12.
