The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal on Saturday deflated petition of Governorship Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon Ladi Adebutu and his party challenging the March 18,2023 Governorship victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun and affirmed Abiodun as democratically elected governor of the state.
Penpushing reports that the 3-man panel headed by Justice headed by Hamidu Kunaza in a judgment which lasted for 13 hours ruled that the petitioners have failed to prove any of the grounds of the petition and thus are not entitled to any of the reliefs sought, adding that the petition fails and is dismissed.
The tribunal in a unanimous judgement submitted that the petitioners failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, and lack merit and therefore affirmed the second respondent (Dapo Abiodun) as duly elected Governor as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Penpushing further reports that the panel equally held that the allegations of corrupt practices, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, multiple thumb printing of ballot papers, ballot stuffing, and forgery as alleged by Adebutu and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)were not proved beyond any reasonable doubt.
The tribunal in similar vein described the testimonies of the witnesses brought by the petitioners as industrially manufactured, mechanically produced and adopted by them, thereby proven to similar, too coincidental and unbelievable.
Penpushing also reports that the panel on the allegation of certificate forgery levelled against Abiodun, held that the petitioner failed to prove the criminal allegation beyond reasonable doubt by providing a witness from the United States of America (USA) to testify that the second defendant (Abiodun).
The tribunal while striking out the allegation of vote buying and corrupt practices, held that the allegations were two inseparable twins for which the petitioner has failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt.
Penpushing reports that the panel in the same vein, held that the allegation of certificate forgery and arrest and detention of Abiodun in 1986 were pre-election matters which ought to have been determined 14 days before the election.
‘The petitioners have failed to prove any of the grounds of the petition and thus are not entitled to any of the reliefs sought. The petition fails and is dismissed. The return of Governor Abiodun is affirmed”, the court declared
Penpushing further reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while reacting to the judgement in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye said the affirmation of Abiodun as duly elected Governor was a divine mandate
“We went round the 20 local government areas of the state, we went to some local governments twice, we campaigned vigorously in the wards, we showcased what our party and government have done in four years. l and was doing. In most of our campaigns, we commissioned projects and inaugurated new ones which was unprecedented in the electioneering annals of Nigeria. Our people believed in us, trusted us and voted for continuity. We had no doubt about our electoral victory and It was indeed a divine mandate’, the statement said.
‘We have always known that the PDP is as disorganized as its ramshackle petitions. which the party and its highly incompetent and run-away defeated candidate knew or ought to have known cannot succeed’, the statement added.
‘They merely wanted to reap where they did not sow, forgetting that you can’t build something on nothing. The tribunal has rightly done justice and due diligence to their spurious petitions’, the party emphasized.
‘We only hope that Ladi Adebutu will eat the humble pie and return to Nigeria and face his criminal charges of votes buying and money laundering hanging on his neck at the High Court. We challenge him to be man enough to return to Nigeria’, the statement stressed.
“Our party and governor assembled the best brains in election tribunal warfare in Nigeria today. There is no election dispute of note that is relied on in this case that at least one of our lawyers is not a part of’.
“Finally, to God be the biggest credit and glory. We appreciate the unusual grace of God upon Prince Dapo Abiodun, to the chagrin of his detractors. Not many have this grace that when you think they are locked in, God opens the roof for them to walk free. Till today, many cannot understand why God chose Dapo Abiodun against all odds, but He did, and there is nothing his detractors could do about it’, the statement reads.
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