The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun state has alerted the members of the public that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has resorted to distorting the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered today on a suit filed by PDP and its defeated governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, challenging the rulings of the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta.
In a press statement issued in Abeokuta and signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Tunde Oladunjoye, the party alerted the public to disregard the infertile machinations of PDP: “While we have applied for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, we urge PDP and its agents to be responsible enough not to distort public records. Their lies cannot last for long.”
The statement reads : “It has become pertinent to alert the general public on the desperate antics of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered today.
“It is true the defeated opposition party and its defeated candidate, Ladi Adebutu, who is currently on the run, approached the Court of Appeal, where a suit was filed to challenge the decision of the Ogun State Governorship Election Tribunal, which earlier struck out claims of vote-buying made by PDP against APC and Governor Dapo Abiodun, which the Tribunal described as belated and afterthought.
“Today, the Court of Appeal confirmed that all allegations of vote-buying in Adebutu’s reply were incompetent and as such, the Court of Appeal struck out paragraphs 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 of the Reply, leaving some few hollow paragraphs.
“Particularly their paragraph 37 which remains struck out reads as follows:
“Further to the above, the Petitioners contend that the based on the abysmal performance of the 2nd Respondent in the last 4 (four)
years as the Governor of Ogun State, the 2nd Respondent realising he would be totally rejected at the poll, resorted to vote buying and in the polling units where the electorates flatly rejected his money, he resorted to violent disruptions of elections in those places.”
The Court, in its lead judgment read by Justice MB Idris, also upheld another decision of the tribunal which confirmed the validity of the defence filed by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
“However, in a rare desperate machinations, the PDP rushed to town, claiming the false allegations of vote-buying buying against APC and Dapo Abiodun have been restored by the Appeal Court! There is nothing farther than the truth.
“We should particularly ask them what has happened to Paragraphs 21,22,23,24,31,32,33,36, 37, 39, 40,41,42, 43, 44 of their Reply which the Court of Appeal has held remains struck out, in agreement with the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
“While we have applied for Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, we urge PDP and its agents to be responsible enough not to distort public records. Their lies cannot last for long,” the statement added.
