11 months ago
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The Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun along with his deputy, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olakunle Oluomo, aides, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have resorted to prayer in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s final judgment in the state’s governorship election dispute.
The group, including the governor, on Friday engaged in fervent prayers, seeking divine intervention ahead of the court’s decision.
The prayer session, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the governor, Toyin Taiwo, focused on seeking victory for Abiodun and the APC at the Supreme Court.
Taiwo implored God not to let the governor and the party be put to shame in the forthcoming judgment.
The background to this prayer meeting stems from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu, challenging Governor Abiodun’s victory in the March 18 governorship election.
The PDP and Adebutu, in their petition, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of non-compliance with the Electoral Act and of corrupt practices during the election.
They also alleged that thuggery disrupted voting in over 99 polling units, disenfranchising more than 40,000 voters.
Despite their allegations, Adebutu’s petition was dismissed by the Justice Hamidu Kunaza-led tribunal for lacking merit and suffered a similar fate at the Court of Appeal with a two-to-one split judgement.
Unconvinced, Adebutu has escalated the matter to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the lower courts’ judgments.
The Supreme Court, led by Justice John Okoro, on Thursday, reserved its judgment on the matter to a later date, which will be communicated to the parties involved.
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The court has also declined to hear the cross-appeals filed by the APC and INEC, choosing instead to focus on the main appeal filed by Adebutu.
