A Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday declared Jimi Adebisi Lawal as the authentic governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, for the forthcoming Ogun State governorship election.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Abiodun Adeyemi, resolved the protracted leadership and candidature dispute that had divided the party into rival factions, each laying claim to the governorship ticket.
Lawal, a close associate of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, secured the legal victory after the court held that his emergence as the party’s candidate complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the ADC constitution.
The suit, marked FHC/AB/CS/97/2026, challenged the legitimacy of the governorship primary that produced multiple factional candidates.
In his judgment, Justice Adeyemi ruled that the primary election which produced Lawal was validly conducted and duly monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court held that the exercise complied with all statutory requirements and remained the only lawful governorship primary recognised under the law.
Consequently, the court declared Lawal the authentic governorship candidate of the ADC in Ogun State and directed INEC to accord him full recognition by reflecting his name in its official records as the party’s flag bearer.
Reacting to the judgment, the Ogun State Chairman of the ADC, Femi Soluade, described the ruling as a victory for democracy and an opportunity to unite the party ahead of the governorship election.
“For us, the soul of the party is what is most important. We have decided that
