THE NEWS NIGERIA
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 governorship election in Ogun State, Hon Oladipupo Adebutu has formally filed a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal seeking an order to sack the Governorship Candidate of All Progressive Congress candidate Prince Dapo Abiodun as winner.
Oladipupo in the petition to challenge Prince Dapo Abiodun as winner of the March 18 election asked the court to declare him as the winner of the election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on the 19th of March declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressive (APC) as the winner, having polled a total of 276,298 votes, Adebutu of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) polled a total of 262,383, while Biyi Otegbeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came distant third with 9, 4754 votes.
Having not satisfied with the declaration,because the margins of cancelled votes due to distruption by political thugs is much more than the margins between the first and the second contestant, PDP candidate joined by a member of the legal team, Chief Gordy Uche, SAN, and party chieftains stormed the Tribunal secretariat at Isabo Magistrate court premises in Abeokuta to formally file voluminous copies of the petition.
With Adebutu and the PDP as first and second petitioners, the INEC, Abiodun and the APC were respectively marked as the first, second and third respondents.
Adebutu told newsmen shortly after filing the petition that “We are here today in continuation of our pursuit of our democratic rights because we have had elections that we truly believe we have represented the people fairly and the people have responded by voting fairly for us in an election we believe we won.
“We will continue to seek out mandate within the ambit of the law.”
Giving details of the petitions, Uche said it was filed on up to “four solid grounds”, hoping that the Tribunal “will do the best.”
He said “We have about three senior advocates on our team and a host of many other lawyers and many of them are lawyers who are not just because they being paid, but because of the fact that they believe that the mandate was stolen and they also believe this mandate can be retrieved.
“We have up to four grounds, very solid ones, but it will be sweeter when our opponent tell you the grounds.
“Our prayers are just that the right thing is done and the man who won is given the mantle of office.”
