By DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA—Seventeen chairmanship aspirants of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Ogun State, whose names were allegedly substituted, yesterday, dragged the party’s leadership and Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, OGSIEC, before an Abeokuta High Court .

The candidates, who claimed their names were originally submitted to the electoral body by ACN leadership, filed the suit seeking an injunction restraining OGSIEC from recognising any other persons other than them as candidates for chairmanship positions in the forthcoming election in their respective local governments.

In the suit filed by their counsel, Isaiah Okoigi, they  sought for such further orders  the court may deem fit to make in the circumstance.

The claimants include Abiodun Ogunremi Oluwaseun (Obafemi Owode), Moshood Okanlawon Akinyele (Abeokuta South), Musiliu Akindele (Odeda), Folorunso Sotubo (Sagamu), Samuel Olusegun Idowu (Remo North), Isiaka Oluwole Ojuroye (Ikenne), Wale Balogun (Ijebu North), Nathaniel Adewale Sodipo (Ewekoro), Soliu Ayinde Falade (Ipokia).

Others are Isaq Alao Adesanya (Abeokuta North), Gabriel Ayinde Falola (Yewa North), Sunday Bankole (Ifo), Shamsudeen Olaide Onanuga (Ijebu-Ode), Ismaila Ishola Sanusi (Imeko Afon), Olaotan Babatunde Odunayo (Yewa South) and Mustapha Sikiru Kunle (Ado-Odo/Ota).

Joined in the suit as defendants are OGSIEC, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello (Ogun ACN Chairman), ACN, Mr Rokib Adeniji (Ogun ACN Screening Committee) and Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso (Ogun ACN Secretary).

It will be recalled that ACN leaders and members loyal to the camp of former Governor Olusegun Osoba recently disowned the list of candidates allegedly imposed on the party by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

It however maintained that a letter dated June 15, 2012 and signed by ACN State Secretary, Alhaji Abimbola Awofeso, contained names of chairmanship and councillorship candidates originally submitted to OGSIEC while claiming  that Amosun’s list was forwarded to the electoral body on June 18.

However the candidates in a communique issued at the end of their emergency meeting held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital,expressed displeasure at alleged  the imposition by Amosun.

They also demanded comments from the ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over Amosun’s claims that he had their (Akande and Tinubu) blessing for the imposition in Ogun ACN.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Shamsudeen Olaide Onanuga said the emergency meeting was called to express their position on the imposition of “unknown and unaccepted” candidates by the governor.

Onanuga also rejected last Friday’s harmonisation meeting convened by Amosun at the Presidential Lodge, Abeokuta for the adoption of his candidates.

”The meeting believes that the party is supreme and the governor has nothing to do with the supremacy of our party constitution. The meeting believes and adopts Article 21 and section 21.5 of the ACN party constitution,” he said.