The Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a suit instituted by Princess Abiodun Oyefusi challenging the outcome of the African Democratic Congress, NDC, governorship primary in Lagos State.
The development was disclosed by the ADC governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, in a post on X on Friday night.
The court, according to Rhodes-Vivour, relied on the position of the Supreme Court concerning disputes arising from the internal affairs of political parties and held that the issues raised in the suit fell within the internal domain of the ADC.
The case was subsequently struck out.
The suit stemmed from a dispute over the ADC’s Lagos governorship primary, which produced Rhodes-Vivour as the party’s candidate. Oyefusi had challenged the outcome, alleging that votes recorded in her favour were improperly transferred during the collation process.
Following the disputed primary, Oyefusi’s legal representatives approached the court to seek redress over the alleged irregularities.
The development comes against the backdrop of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides that courts shall not entertain suits or matters relating to the internal affairs of political parties. The provision forms part of the legal framework governing disputes involving political parties.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Rhodes-Vivour called for unity among members of the ADC, arguing that continued litigation over the primary was unnecessary and could distract the party from its political objectives.
He said the party should concentrate on its goal of delivering a Lagos that works for all and challenging the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 governorship election.
Rhodes-Vivour also urged party members to work together to address what he described as “corruption and ineptitude” in the state.
“Our focus is on delivering a Lagos that works for all and to salvage our Lagos from cronyism, corruption and ineptitude. Hence, I reiterate my call for party unity so we can all work together to defeat the APC. Dragging cases in court, quite frankly, is unnecessary and distracting,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
Lagos 2027: Court strikes out Oyefusi’s suit against Rhodes-Vivour, ADC