Ekiti Representative Seat: Court fines Fayose’s aide N2 million for frivolous charges

A court in Ado Ekiti has fined former Governor Ayo Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, N2 million for filing a suit against the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 2.

The suit filed by Olayinka, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Federal Constituency, was also dismissed by the court presided over by Justice Babs Kuewumi as frivolous and lacking merit.

In the May primary in Aramoko, Ekiti, Olayinka challenged the nomination of the APC candidate, Mr. Biodun Omoleye.

Justice Kuewumi dismissed the suit for being statute-barred in his verdict in the case numbered FHC/AD/CS/38/2022.

He then awarded N2 million to the APC and Omoleye against Olayinka and ordered that the cost be paid immediately.

Furthermore, Justice Kuewumi ruled that Olayinka lacked locus standi to bring the action, referring to the first plaintiff (Olayinka) as a “meddlesome interloper.”

Olayinka was the first plaintiff in the suit, and his party, the PDP, was the second.

The APC is the first defendant in the suit, followed by the Independent National Electoral Commission and Omoleye.

Olayinka was seeking the annulment of the APC primary election that produced Omoleye as its candidate for the upcoming House of Representatives election due to an alleged irregularity.

In response to the ruling, Mr. Gboyega Ajayi, an APC chieftain in the Federal Constituency, advised Olayinka to focus his efforts on winning the hearts of his constituents “rather than chasing shadows by attempting to manipulate the process through bogus court cases.”

In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Wednesday, Ajayi described Olayinka’s attempt to have the APC candidate, Omoleye, disqualified as a futile exercise and confirmation that he (Olayinka) is not ready for a free and fair election.

He described his desperate attempt to gain a seat in the House of Representatives through the back door as distasteful, adding that Olayinka brought the case in the first place knowing he lacked the wherewithal and tenacity to win the February 25, 2023 election.

“Lere Olayinka’s quest to deny the people of Ekiti Central Federal Constituency II the right to freely elect their preferred candidate for the election has failed,” Ajayi declared.

“As a result, we want to warn the PDP and Olayinka that the era of ‘jankara’ judgment is long gone.

“We also advise the PDP to mend its crumbling home instead of meddling in the internal affairs of the APC. This decision is a victory for democracy and an early confirmation of the APC candidate’s victory.”