The commitment of the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun in Ogun State to ensure the preservation of the rule of law, battle corruption and, protect the tenets of democracy in the country has again been reiterated.
According to a top functionary of the government, apart from prioritising the welfare of the people, the administration is working hard to deepen the people’s beliefs in the nations democratic process.
This is coming as the state’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Isabo Abeokuta, the state capital, has started reading its judgement in the disputed March 18, 2023 governorship election won by Dapo Abiodun.
The Tribunal had after three month – long sitting and conclusion of hearing, reserved Saturday, September 30, 2023 for judgement in the petition filed by PDP’s Hon. Ladi Adebutu against Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adebutu is praying the tribunal headed by Hamidu Kunaza to nullify Governor Abiodun’s victory and declare him winner of the governorship election in Ogun State.
Besides, the former federal lawmaker is also seeking an order of the Tribunal to upturn the election of Governor Abiodun, alleging that the election that brought him into office for the second time, was riddled with violence, irregularities, over voting and rigging.
In a preliminary part ruling delivered by Justice A.P. Egele, the court struck out Adebutu’s allegation of over voting, even as it held that the Petitioners – Adebutu and PDP, have a responsibility under the Schedule to plead the results of an election as announced but failed to do so.
On the contrary, the court noted that the petitioners deployed the word “purportedly” in describing the INEC declared results, a word which the dictionary explained to mean “rumoured.”
Consequently, the Court reckoned that Petitioners ought to challenge the results as announced by INEC and not rumoured results – ( thus hinting or suggesting that while the Tribunal was concerned with the real results, Petitioners were busy pleading or challenging rumoured results known to them only.)
Court then concluded that the Petition is incompetent for the reason cited above.
In the court to witness the Tribunal judgement proceeding on the side of Governor Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC) include: Deputy Governor Noimot Salako – Oyedele, Senator Gbenga Kaka, Hon. Tunji Akinosi, Minister of State for Environment and Ecological Management, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, the Senator representing Ogun West, Olamilekan Adeola, ex – Ogun Assembly Speaker, Hon. Titi Oseni – Gomez and Senator Salisu Shuaib while Adebutu’s running mate, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, Ogun State PDP chairman, Hon. Sikirulai Ogundele among others were also in court on the side of the petitioners.
Meanwhile, Kayode Akinmade, a Chief Consultant on Media to the governor, had while answering questions on a television programme on Friday, September 29, 2023 said as a law abiding leader, the governor has always take recourse to the judiciary to seek redress for himself and his administration whenever the need arises, rather than engage in self help.
Akinmade stressed that the decision of the governor to approach the court over the matter between him and the impeached chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area, Wale Adedayo, is a demonstration of his belief in the rule of law and his indisposition to ‘rule of force’.
Adedayo appeared before a Magistrate’s Court at Isabo, Abeokuta, on a petition filed by the state government against him over an earlier allegation of diversion of funds meant for Council Areas in the state. Governor Abiodun is insisting that the former Council boss must prove his allegations against his administration or face the wrath of the law for falsely inciting the people against the government.
Adedayo was arraigned on a two-count charge. According to Akinmade, it is wrong for people to rush to accuse the governor of persecuting Adedayo, who according to him, have “severally apologised to the governor in private while continuing with his ill-motivated misinformation in public.”
“The governor believes that taking Adedayo before the court will deepen our democracy and entrench the rule of law.
“Unlike some other people in Governor Abiodun’s shoes who would readily recourse to sending thugs after and unleashing other forms of violence on those who accused them rightly or wrongly, our governor decided to seek redress in court. I think he should be commended by all and sundry for this. What he is doing is giving Adedayo a chance to prove his allegations,” Akinmade said.
Speaking on the allegation by the impeached chairman that the governor is behind his removal, Akinmade said Adedayo was already facing removal from office before he raised the false alarms against the governor. “He has already been accused of several impeachable offences before he wrote the letter alleging that the governor diverted council funds. He had already reached out to the governor and other leaders of the party to help him stave off his removal. It was when he realized he may not survive the impeachment move that he connived with some other unscrupulous politicians in the party to malign the governor and discredit the APC in Ogun State,” Akinmade said.
The Media chief added that claims by Adedayo that he got zero allocation since he became chairman of his local government were proved wrong by the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) in the state when the House of Assembly looked into his petition. He recalled that other council chairmen in the state also debunked the allegation and even brought Adedayo with them to apologize to the governor for the wrong allegations. “But in spite of all these, he didn’t stop his scripted plot to tarnish the image of the governor. Hence, Governor Abiodun approached the court for redress,” he added.
