There is nothing to your appeal. Adebutu, PDP, hears from Abiodun, INEC, and APC.

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There is nothing to your appeal. Adebutu, PDP, hears from Abiodun, INEC, and APC.

By; Mary Owolabi

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Ladi Adebutu, filed an appeal against the ruling of the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld Governor Dapo Abiodun’s election in the March 18 governorship election. Yesterday, the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Governor Abiodun of Ogun State urged the Court of Appeal to dismiss the appeal.

Abiodun, APC, and INEC informed the three-member panel of judges, presided over by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, during the Appeal Court’s hearing in Lagos, Nigeria, that the appeal filed by Adebutu and the PDP was baseless and too ambitious.

On September 30, the tribunal upheld Governor Abiodun’s reelection and denied the petitions filed by Adebutu and his party.

A.J. Owonikoko, SAN, the First Respondent’s Counsel, led the charge and requested the court to dismiss the appeal due to its lack of merit.

In response to the argument made by the appellants’ attorney, Chris Uche, SAN, about 49,000 voters who lost their right to vote, Mr. Owonikoko pointed out that the appellants had only summoned 48 witnesses, citing paragraphs 4.37 to 4.40 on pages 18 and 19 of his brief.

He clarified that all voters who have been denied the right to vote must be brought as witnesses in situations of disenfranchisement, but the appellants failed to do so.

As the appellants wanted, he concluded that the Court could not amplify 48 witnesses to 49,000 witnesses.

He pleaded with the Court to reject the appeal.

Wole Olanipekun, SAN, the counsel for the second respondent Prince Abiodun, also recognized and accepted his brief.

To begin with, Olanipekun said that the recent ruling by the Supreme Court in the Atiku v. INEC case fully captured the points raised in the appeal, in contrast to the stance put up by Uche, SAN. Speaking on behalf of the third respondent (APC), Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, underlined that exhibit PT609 is not an appropriate document to employ (citing pages 71–72 of his brief). The Court of Appeal postponed rendering a decision until a later time that will be announced.