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A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state on Monday dimissed he case of the former governor of the state, Segun Oni, who is challenging the eligibility of Governor Kayode Fayemi to contest the July 14 governorship election.
Oni, who came second in the APC governorship primary election in the state, is contending that Fayemi was not legally qualified to take part in the contest having failed to resign as minister in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet before the primaries.
Recall that Fayemi won the party’s primary election on May 12, while still serving as Minister of Mines and Steel Development.
Fayemi officially resigned the position on May 30, about 18 days after he clinched the APC governorship ticket with a total of 941 votes as against 481 votes polled by Oni.
But in her ruling on Monday, Justice Uche Agomah held that Oni’s case lacked merit.
The court held that Fayemi was eligible to contest the July 14 governorship election, adding that Fayemi was a political office holder and not a public officer when he contested the primary election and there was no place in the constitution that describe such as illegal.
Omotayo Oloruntola, counsel to Oni, said they would study the judgment to know the next line of action.
The party’s elder forum in the state had also begged Oni to withdraw the case but he refused.