Aspirant sues Oshiomhole, Ajimobi over vacant NWC position

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Michael Akinleye, has sued the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Abiola Ajimobi, over an alleged plot to impose the latter as the new deputy national vice chairman.

Akinleye, who is also an aspirant for the position of the deputy national chairman (south) of the APC, opposed the endorsement of the former Oyo state governor.

The former occupant of the position, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, himself a former governor of Ekiti state, was appointed the minister of trade and industry in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

An aggrieved Akinleye has, however, filed the case before a Federal High court in Ado-Ekiti, through his counsel, Taiwo Omidoyin and Tunde Oke.

The plaintiff in an originating summon said his right had been violated and grossly infringed upon by the action taken by the Oshiomhole.

He noted that he expressed his interest to vie for the position in a letter dated Monday, January 20, which he forwarded to Ekiti state chapter of the APC to nominate him for the position.

Akinleye is the current chairman of APC in Ado Ekiti local government area of Ekiti state.

Senator Gbenga Aluko, also from Ekiti, was contesting for the vacant and was the preferred candidate from Ekiti APC caucus.

The plaintiff asked the court to restrain the party from nominating Senator Ajimobi or anybody to the vacant position without following the due process and dictate of the APC constitution.

The case has been scheduled for Thursday, March 12 for definite hearing, after all the parties have been duly served.

Recall that the Ekiti state chapter of the APC had earlier dissociated itself from a report claiming that it endorsed Ajimobi for the position.

The party in a statement on Thursday, February 6, by its spokesperson, Sam Oluwalana, described the claim that it endorsed Ajimobi as false.