Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the March 18 elections, Ladi Adebutu, to drop any intention of taking his case to the Supreme Court.
Abiodun, who made the call while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, urged Adebutu to work with him to take the state to a greater height.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos in a 2 to 1 split judgement last Friday affirmed Abiodun as the duly elected governor of Ogun State in the March 18 poll.
The State and National Assembly Appeal Court in the majority judgment delivered by Justice Joseph Ikyegh dismissed the appeal by the candidate of Adebutu.
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But the minority judgment delivered by Justice Jane Inyang upheld the appeal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in the state within 90 days.
“These Appeal Court affirmation presents another electoral victory for me and my party. This would be the third time that we would be winning an election again. The first time was March 18, the second time was at the tribunal and the third time was at the appellate court.
“We see this as a victory, not just for democracy, we see it as a victory for the rule of law and the judiciary and even democracy in the judiciary where two judges ruled in our favour and dismissed the suit and one judge dissented.
“We only hope that our opponent will now desist from running from pillar to post, shopping for favourable judgement from one court to the other.
“If they really mean well for the state, they must appreciate now that there is someone in that saddle. They should come and join hands with us and let’s build the future of Ogun State together,” Abiodun said.
Adebutu had responded to the setback at the Appeal Court with optimism, saying: “Do not rejoice yet, I will retrieve my mandate at the Supreme Court.”
However, the governor was quick to say he was not entertaining any fear of losing at the Supreme Court, adding that he only wanted to concentrate on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
He said: “I’m not worried. So far, six judges have ruled on this matter, and five have ruled in my favour. Why would I be worried that one judge did not rule in my favour?
“The judge was recommending a rerun in 92 polling units. In Ogun State, we have 5,045 polling units, if you calculate for yourself, what percentage of 5045 polling units is 92 polling units? So why would I lose sleep on this minority judgement?”
