The Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals brought before it by Otunba Jimi Adebisi Lawal, a claimant to the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state.
Lawal is challenging the nomination of Oladipupo Adebutu as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State.
The two appeals were dismissed by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun following their withdrawal by the appellant’s counsel, Chukwudi Enebeli.
Jimi Lawal’s suit challenging Adebutu had earlier been dismissed at the High Court and the Court of Appeal. This cleared the way for Adebutu to fly the banner of the PDP at the March 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.
Displeased with the verdicts of the lower courts, Lawal challenged the use of the Court Record transmitted by another party and the procedural policy in accepting and using the disputed record.
The Supreme Court panel presided over by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun informed the counsel that the court has no luxury of time to expend on interlocutory appeals before coming to the substantive matter.
The panel also drew the attention of the lawyer to the fact that the appellant’s appeal is time-bound and must be tackled at the substantive level instead of dissipating energies on the interlocutory ones.
Subsequently, Enebeli applied for withdrawal of the appeals. The Court directed the counsels to proceed with how to get the substantive matter brought before the court within the time allowed by law
