A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Phillips Shaibu, the impeached deputy governor of Edo State, seeking to nullify the victory of Asue Ighodalo in the February 22 governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ighodalo was declared winner of the PDP’s governorship primary election, while Shaibu declared himself winner of a parallel primary which took place in Benin City.
While delivering his judgement on Monday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that Shaibu did not have the legal standing to challenge the outcome of the primary because he didn’t fully participate in it and was not present at the venue on the day it took place.
The judge added that Shaibu’s lawsuit was premature as he failed to exhaust the internal dispute resolution mechanism within the party before heading to court.
