Ekiti 2018: Balogun drags Omoyeni, MPN, INEC to court over alleged ‘stolen’ governorship ticket

The winner of the May 12 primary elections of the Mega Party of
Nigeria (MPN) in Ekiti State, Dr. Sunday Balogun, has filed a suit
against the adopted candidate, Chief Adebisi Omoyeni.


In the Originating Summons filed before a Federal High Court,
Ado-Ekiti, on Monday, Balogun prayed the court to remove the name of
Omoyeni on the grounds that he (Omoyeni) did not emerge from the
primary conducted by the MPN.

Defendants in the suit are MPN, Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Omoyeni and eight others. Balogun said he was in
court to challenge the alleged injustice done to him.


The plaintiff averred that the substitution of his name with that of
Omoyeni, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, violates Section 33
of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

Balogun insisted that Omoyeni was not a member of the MPN at the time
he contested and lost the primary to him (Balogun) on May 12.

The plaintiff urged the court to set aside the Terms of Settlement
relied upon by the party to hand Omoyeni the ticket he (Balogun) won
at the primary.


Balogun further prayed the court to grant a mandatory injunction
recognizing him as the authentic MPN governorship candidate.

He expressed confidence that he would fly the flag of the MPN at the
July 14 governorship poll he believed the court will do justice to his
case.

Addressing his supporters after the case was filed, Balogun said he
took the action to challenge the alleged injustice meted out to him
after he won a keenly contested primary only to be dropped for
Omoyeni.

He vowed to follow the case to a logical conclusion to retrieve his
mandate saying the sanctity of the votes cast for him by delegates
must be protected.

Balogun said he defeated political heavyweights like former Minister
of Science and Technology,Dr. Bode Olowoporoku, another former Deputy
Governor, Chief Abiodun Aluko to win a primary adjudged to be free,
fair and transparent.

He said: "As at 12 midnight on June 14 when I left INEC office in
Abuja, my name was yet to be substituted; me and my DG were there for
more than one-and-half weeks and nobody had an idea of when the name
of Omoyeni was smuggled in.

"Immediately we notified the court, we notified the Inspector General
of Police. At a time in point I arrested the the National Chairman,
Hamisu San Turaki and the National Secretary in Abuja and we locked
them up.

"The primary was conducted and we passed through all due process.
Intention form was given at cost of N1 million and the nomination form
was sold to us at the rate of N5 million.

"I knew when INEC was involved that we were going to have our primary
on May 12 and not only that, people were sent from other parts of the
country like Ondo State, Jigawa State, Abuja and other places.

"We even went to Abuja to have a peace accord which was supervised by
the national headquarters that whoever wins will be supported by
others and all of us signed."