Supreme Court Victory Attestation To Oyebanji’s Acceptability In Ekiti- APC

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State said the supreme court verdict that upheld the victory of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji is a proof of his wide acceptance by the people of Ekiti State

This is just as the Socio Democratic Party,SDP in the state said that the outcome of the judgement signalled its candidate, Engineer Segun Oni as hero of Democracy

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decisions of both the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier ruled that Engineer Segun Oni and his party, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, failed to prove their case against the victory of APC and its candidate at the 18 June 2022 guber election in Ekiti State. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who delivered the judgment on behalf of other Supreme Court Justices, said the Segun Oni/SDP’s case expressly stood dismissed.
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Appraising the judgment, APC said the back-to-back legal victory recorded from the Election Tribunal to the Apex Court was not accidental, but a confirmation of the people’s acceptance of both the party and the governor, which culminated in the landslide victory recorded at the poll, and which cannot be taken for granted at any point of the present administration.

The party’s message was conveyed through a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, on behalf of the State Chairman, Barrister Paul Omotosho. It stated that with the Supreme Court ruling, which was the final adjudication on the matter, all parties must have come to accept the verdict as that of the people of the State, and as the authentic.
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Dipe described Engr. Segun Oni and SDP’s decision to question the outcome of the election as that which stood logic in the head. He observed that the legal victory, which now landslide and total, was an evidence enough that Segun Oni and his party had selfishly embarked on a fruitless legal misadventure with the intention to set Ekiti State backward and burning.

“The whole world can now see that the June 18, 2022 election was no fluke. We were the best party, we had the best candidate in (now) Gov. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, codenamed BAO, and we ran the best campaign, based on concrete achievements of the then administration of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi. Add to this the fact that every Ekiti son and daughter was tired of the policy summersaults of the past and chose to give continuity a try, instead of gambling with the fate of the burgeoning state, then one would understand why the result would not have been anything otherwise,” Dipe said.

APC said it welcomed the unanimous decisions of the Justices of the Supreme Court who sat on the matter, as it aligned with the unanimous decision of the judges who sat on it at the Court of Appeal, which also aligned with the unanimous decision of the three judges who listened to it at the Tribunal stage. That there was no split decision at any stage, was a proof of a no-case submission, and this has given us the impetus to want to take democracy more seriously and the governor to want to provide more dividends of democracy to the people.

“APC is the only living party in Ekiti today and the one with a pact with the people. What more? We have in the saddle a governor who is a people person and has not just listening hears, but doing spirit. He is determined to make the people his priority and concentrate on projects that will positively touch their lives.”

Meanwhile, the party said it was stretching its arms of fellowship to those who were disgruntled and asked them to join hands with the administration of Gov. Oyebanji in moving Ekiti State to the next level.

“With the victory of our party at the national level, our dear state remains connected to the “national grid” and as such will not be denied any opportunity to improve the lives of the people,” Dipe said.

The SDP which expressed shock and disappointment on the judgement considered it as a rape of democracy “which will go a long way in the anal of history of Nigeria as one of the worst judgments pronounced with emotions and recklessness as the grounds of appeal and prayers before his lordships were convincing enough for the SDP and the candidate to get favourable judgement”.

The state chairman of the SDP Dr Dele Ekunola in press release on Saturday signed by the Public relations officer PRO ,Gani Salau expressed displeasure on behalf of the party when he led the state working committee members to Ifaki Ekiti, the country home of the candidate of the party on a solidarity visit over the supreme court judgement.

Ekunola according to the statement described the pronouncement and dismissal of the case outrightly as the list expected of highly respected justices of the supreme court without keenly and carefully looking at the grounds and prayers of the Social Democratic Party which were critical to its determination and summarily dismissed the case and promised to communicate the reasons for its dismissal later to the parties too distasteful and unbearable.

The state chairman stated” In Yoruba pallance, a name you intend to give to your baby will be kept with you till the day of the naming ceremony. It is unfortunate that Danttijo Muhammed unveiled the name of his new baby before the naming ceremony. That means, since the name of the child is known before the naming proper, the name becomes uninteresting to the neighbors, well-wishers and the public”.

“Since reasons for the dismissal of the case were to be given later, it is also expected that the pronouncement ought to have been given later and this is where we found ourselves as Nigerians.”

“How can Danttijo Muhammed be expected to be neutral in the case ?”We are not surprised and perturbed that Danttijo Muhammed made such pronouncement because he was one of the appeal court justices that sacked Segun Oni at the Ilorin court of appeal division in 2010 on the mere allegation that the electoral officials used red biro to mark the voters attendance sheet during the rerun election. So, Thursday action of Danttijo Muhammed and his team was a fulfillment of APC onslaught against Oni and SDP and the whole world is watching”.

“Sometimes ago, the former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi at Aramoko Ekiti boasted that he had judiciary in his pocket and described the court action of the SDP challenging the outcome of the June 18, 2022 gubernatorial elections as a waste of time and mere entertainment. Are we to live like this as a nation where justice is always perverted?

The state chairman praised Chief Segun Oni for his doggedness, steadfastness and vision for Ekiti. “You remain an hero of democracy, a symbol of truth and justice which everybody in this state and beyond keeps on attesting to. You are our bride come reign come shine. We wish you God guidance and success in your future endeavors”.

“The former Governor of Ekiti State and the gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Chief Segun Oni thanked the leadership of the party in the state for the show of love and solidarity expressed to him through their visit and assured them of greater days ahead. He described the supreme court pronouncement as one of the things to happen and wished Ekiti well. “