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Governorship
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State,
Shamsideen Dosunmu, has been dragged before a Federal High Court in
Lagos, by one Oluowo Adeyeri who is seeking nullification of his
nomination as the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming election.

He is contending
that Mr Dosunmu was not eligible to contest the January 10 PDP primary
where he secured the nomination of the party.Mr Adeyero is, therefore,
asking the court to declare the next candidate with the highest number
of votes at the January 10, PDP gubernatorial primary as the lawful
winner and consequently the party’s flag bearer for the 2011
gubernatorial election in the State.

Joined as
co-respondents in the suit are the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP); the
chairman of the PDP gubernatorial Screening Committee, the Chairman,
PDP Gubernatorial Election Panel and the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).

Not qualified

According to Mr
Adeyeri, at the time of the contest for the nomination of the PDP’s
flag bearer for the office of the governor on January 10, 2011, Mr
Dosunmu had not been a party member for up to two years as required by
the PDP’s guidelines.

He added that the
flagbearer also failed to seek for waiver to cover the deficiency of
not being a member for two years which he could have done under the
provisions of Article 14 (j) of the PDP Electoral Guidelines for
Primary Election, 2010.

He averred that Mr
Dosunmu was in public service as the Director General of Nigerian
Maritime Agency (NIMASA) up until July 2009, and prior to that he was
in the service of the Lagos State Building and Investment
Corporation.The applicant is seeking, among other things, a declaration
that the PDP Gubernatorial Screening Panel wrongly cleared Mr Dosunmu
to contest for the PDP nomination process on January 10, 2010 in
flagrant breach of the PDP Electoral Guidelines.

Further, he wants
an order of injunction restraining the PDP from presenting him or
submitting his name as the party’s flag bearer for Lagos State in the
forthcoming election.No date has been fixed for the suit as the matter
is yet to be assigned to a judge.