The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faced a setback on Tuesday when a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed its attempt to nullify the recent local government elections in Kwara State. The court ruled that the PDP had already participated in the elections and had previously filed petitions that were dismissed without appeal.
Justice Peter Lifu stated that the PDP’s new request changed the nature of the case from a pre-election challenge to a post-election one. He noted that the amended claim could not proceed because the court did not have the authority to act as an election tribunal.
The PDP had initially sought to stop the Kwara State Independent Electoral Commission (KWASIEC) from conducting the elections and to prevent the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from providing the voters’ register. However, the elections took place while the case was still pending in court, following a previous order to maintain the status quo.
After participating in the elections, the PDP filed around 24 petitions against the results, all of which were dismissed. The party did not appeal these decisions. Following this, the PDP attempted to change its case in the Federal High Court to seek to nullify the elections.
Justice Lifu ruled that the timing of the PDP’s amended claim was also problematic, as it was too late to bring the case. The judge emphasized that the PDP had already chosen to pursue the electoral petition route and could not seek the same outcome through a different legal approach.
Ultimately, the Federal High Court dismissed the PDP’s suit, leaving the party’s effort to overturn the Kwara council elections unsuccessful.
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