An appeal court in Ilorin has sacked Honourable Abdulazeez Oluwanilo of the APC on Tuesday and declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate for Ilorin South State Constituency, Hon Abdulraheem Agboola.
The judgement, delivered by Justice Hamman Barkar Hkawu, thus, dismissed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Abdulazeez Oluwanilo, and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue the PDP candidate with a certificate of Return.
The court based its decision on the disputed APC’s primaries which produced Alhaji Suleiman Abdulsalam popularly known as Sule cement but was later replaced with a 28-year-old Abdulazeez Oluwanilo.
The PDP candidate had challenged the eligibility of APC candidate and his party nomination process at the tribunal.
It would be recalled the election tribunal had earlier ordered for fresh election in Ilorin South state constituency.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ali Ahmad, who represented Ilorin South in the eighth Assembly, has congratulated Agboola, stressing that he would be one of the ranking members in the House.
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“This is to congratulate my brother on his deserved victory at the Court of Appeal to represent my constituency in KWHA. It’s all about Kwara, and as the second most ranking member in the House, I hope they both provide a clear path to good governance,” he said.
Also, the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated its member, Hon Jimoh Abdulraheem Agboola on his victory at the Appeal Court against Hassan Azeez Oluwanilo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin on Tuesday nullified the election of Oluwanilo as the member representing Ilorin South at the Kwara State House of Assembly and declared Hon Agboola of the PDP as the winner of the election. It also ordered INEC to issue a fresh certificate of return to the PDP candidate.
In a statement issued in Ilorin, the Kwara PDP Chairman, Hon. Kola Shittu described the court’s ruling as a victory for democracy and the rule of law, describing the APC as a party that promotes manipulations and all sort of illegalities.
Shittu commended Agboola for his resilience and determination to pursue justice to a logical end, and also hailed the Appeal Court justices for setting aside interests of manipulative forces and ensuring that justice was duly served.
The Kwara PDP Chairman commended the new lawmaker for his belief in the party’s leadership despite the prevailing circumstances. He also congratulated PDP members and supporters in Ilorin South on the Appeal Court verdict and urged them to continue to work for the success of the party.
Shittu assured the good people of Ilorin South constituency of quality and impactful representation at the State Assembly under Hon Agboola.
He also called on members and supporters of the PDP across the State to keep supporting the leadership of the party and resist all forces of division within the party.
The PDP Chairman expressed optimism that the party would stage a comeback noting that the head of the present administration in the State has so far shown that he is inexperienced and largely incompetent, judging by the current slow pace of governance in the State.
