A war of words has erupted between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State over the potential outcome of Ladi Adebutu’s petition against the election of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Pmnews.ng reported that the Hamidu Kunaza-led tribunal had reserved judgment in the petition on September 4, with the ruling scheduled for a later date.
Following the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal’s dismissal of petitions filed by the PDP, the Labour Party, and the Allied People’s Movement against the election of President Bola Tinubu, the APC’s Publicity Secretary in Ogun State, Tunde Oladunjoye, asserted that Adebutu’s petition in Ogun was headed for a similar fate.
In a post titled “Failure Foretold,” Oladunjoye conveyed to PDP members that if they were unaware “that PDP/Ladi Adebutu’s petition against APC/Governor Abiodun in Ogun has gone into the dustbin, then it means you didn’t understand or you did not follow the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal delivered yesterday.”
Oladunjoye had previously indicated that “Adebutu’s lawyers merely wanted to ‘chop’ Adebutu’s free betting money,” a view he claimed was dismissed. He predicted that “the two legs that Adebutu’s case stood on have been ruptured by the judgment of the court yesterday.”
In response, PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Akinloye Bankole, asserted that the party had successfully presented its case before the tribunal, calling over 90 witnesses and submitting thousands of pieces of evidence. He pointed out that the Ogun State Governorship tribunal case was distinct from the Presidential Tribunal, and accused Oladunjoye of engaging in self-consolation.