Fifteen Governorship candidates at the 2019 Governorship election in Ogun State, on Monday, appealed to their Allied Peoples Movement (APM)’s counterpart, Adekunle Akinlade to withdraw his petition against Governor Dapo Abiodun.
They described the petition as needless and distraction to the governor, who is facing the task of governance.
Otunba Adebayo Mosuro made this appeal while addressing newsmen on Monday in Abeokuta on behalf of the League of Registered Political Parties (LRPP) and the Governorship Candidates Forum in the state.
He also asked a faction of the Labour Party (LP) challenging the party’s exclusion from the ballot during the election, to withdraw its petition.
Musuro, who was the gubernatorial candidate of Independent Democrat (ID), urged the aggrieved parties to emulate candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu and that of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gboyega Nasir Isiaka (GNI), who immediately accepted the outcome of the polls and congratulated the winner.
“Recognising the fact that APM, as a registered political party has a constitutional right to seek redress, however, in the light of the spirit of good sportsmanship, all of us cannot be the winner at the same time.”
“We hereby appeal to the leadership of APM and its candidate, Hon Akinlade to, as a matter of urgency, withdraw the needless petition in the spirit of oneness and togetherness to rebuild a new Ogun State of our dream,” Mosuro said.
In a swift reaction, the Acting Publicity Secretary of APM, Olumide Balogun dismissed the position, saying the party and its candidate would pursue the petition to the logical end.
Balogun maintained that filing a petition “is democratic and the candidate has rightly sought redress at the tribunal”, adding that nothing was personal about the petition.
