The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has declared that the Friday’s judgment of an Abuja Federal High Court that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Mr Jimoh Ibrahim as the gubernatorial candidate of the party for the November 26 governorship election in the state could not stand as Ibrahim is not a member of the PDP.
The party declared that its gubernatorial standard bearer in the forthcoming election remains the former Attorney General
and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), having emerged the winner of the governorship primary election held under the supervision of INEC.
A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Abang had ruled that Ibrahim who was presented as the PDP gubernatorial candidate from the Alli Modu Sherif faction of the party should contest the November 26 governorship election.
But the state Chairman of the party, Clement Faboyede while addressing a press conference in Akure yesterday said the judgment was not binding on the party’s gubernatorial standard bearer Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) as he was not joined in the suit filed by Ibrahim, even as he maintained that Ibrahim is a member of the Accord Party (AP).
He stressed that there was no nexus between the suit filed by Ibrahim and the forthcoming governorship election in the state, adding that Jegede remains the sole gubernatorial standard bearer of the PDP in the state.
Faboyede informed that the judgment contradicted numerous decisions of the Supreme Court that “it is the National Executive of a political party that has the responsibility to submit names of candidates to INEC.