PDP convention: Adedoja approaches court, seeks nullification of Secondus’ election as chairman

One of the candidates that contested for the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof Taoheed Adedoja, has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the nullification of the election of Prince Uche Secondus as national chairman.

In Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1225/2017 filed on his behalf by Messers Rickey Tarfa & Co., Adedoja prayed the court to declare ‎the election of Secondus as national chairman of PDP null and void.

The complainant also prayed the court to declare as null and void any documents submitted by the leadership of the PDP to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognising Secondus as national chairman of the PDP.

Adedoja also asked the court for the cancellation of the national chairmanship election held on Saturday, December 09, 2017 at Eagle Square,  Abuja where Secondus emerged as chairman.

He prayed the court to order the conduct of another elective national convention for the election of national chairman within 30 days ‎nullificationion of the December 9 convention.

Through his lawyers, Adedoja similarly asked the court to restrain the INEC from recognising Uche Secondus as national chairman of the PDP.

Stating the grounds for asking the court to nullify the outcome of the election that produced Secondus as chairman, Adedoja said his name was unlawfully excluded from the ballot paper as one of the candidates vying for the position of chairman.

He averred that excluding his name from the ballot paper was a flagrant violation of the Electoral Act, the constitution of the PDP, the guidelines for the conduct of PDP national convention and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to him, the organisers of the convention had substituted his name with “Prof Taoheed Oladoja” on the ballot paper, whereas all his nomination documents submitted to the leadership of the PDP bore the name of Prof. Taoheed Adedoja.

Prof Adedoja also averred that he drew the attention of the chairman of the convention planning committee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to the error

But according to him, his complaint was ignored by Okowa and other organisers of the convention, a situation which he said, caused his loss at the election because those that wanted to vote for him could not find his name on the ballot paper.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Adedoja said, “I have suffered psychological trauma as a result of the public ridicule the election result has caused me, my family members, friends and associates.

“My lawyers are demanding for appropriate compensation for damages, ridicule, embarrassment and disrepute brought to my name as a result of my wilful exclusion from participating in the election resulting in zero score credited to my name which is now in public domain”, he added.

Listed as defendants in the suit are Governor Okowa, Secondus, INEC, and the PDP. No date has been fixed for having.