8 months ago
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The Supreme Court will on Friday deliver its judgment on the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, against Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the governorship election.
The Appeal Court had in November 2023 upheld the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Abiodun as winner of the election.
The five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro had last week Thursday reserved judgment in the case after adopting the briefs of the parties
The state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Tunde Oladunjoye, confirmed the development to our correspondent on Friday.
Speaking recently on what is fuelling the party’s hope of returning to power in the state after over 12 years, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Dr Sunday Solarin, said, “Our strong optimism about the victory at the March 18, 2023 governorship election is not a mere wish but a tenacious belief in hard work, acceptability and sincerity of purpose.
“We showed the court some clear election documents duly certified by INEC that were not in conformity with law and election guidelines constituting flagrant disregard to standard.
“We also showed the court ballot papers that were impressed with sham ink and permanent marker. What a temerity?”.
The ruling party, while reacting through its Publicity Secretary, Oladunjoye, mocked the opposition party and urged the party to stop living in a fool’s paradise.
Oladunjoye said it was unfortunate that Adebutu and members of the PDP have refused to accept the reality of their rejection at the polls by residents of the state as well as their colossal failure before the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal which sat in Lagos.
“Election petition is prosecuted in the court and not in the media. The PDP and its serial governorship hopeful lost the elections when Ogun people refused to gamble with the future of our state, they lost at the tribunal when the judges unanimously confirmed the election of Prince Dapo Abiodun,” he said.
Adebutu had sometimes in April 2023 asked the Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal to quash Abiodun’s victory as declared by INEC after the March 18 governorship election for not complying with the Electoral Act of 2022 as amended, involvement in corrupt practices and for not being qualified to have contested the 2023 governorship election in the state.
