The All Progressives Congress and People’s Democratic Party in Ekiti have reacted to the Appeal Court’s ruling which nullified the victory of Dayo Adeyeye of the APC, thereby declaring Senator Biodun Olujimi of the PDP.
The Appeal Court on Wednesday upheld the September 10 judgement of the three-man panel of the election petition tribunal headed by Justice Danladi which ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return given to Adeyeye and issue a fresh one to Olujimi.
The panel upheld Olujimi’s averments that there was no proper accreditation, there was no proper account of ballots and that the number of votes or ballots recorded is more or less than the number of accredited voters, among others.
Appealing the judgement, Adeyeye filed a 19-ground appeal seeking two reliefs in his bid to upturn Olujimi’s victory at the Tribunal.
The Senate spokesman prayed the appellate court “to allow the appeal and set aside the declaration and return of Olujimi.”
Justice Uzor-Amaka Anyanwu who presided over the three-man panel of the Appeal, dismissed Adeyeye’s appeal, thereby declaring Olujimi as the Senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district.
Reacting to the judgement, the ruling All Progressive Congress and the People’s Democratic Party expressed mix reaction over the judgement.
While the opposition party commended the judiciary for upholding the victory of the party’s candidate, Olujimi described it as a travesty of justice.
The party said that the judgment of both the lower tribunal and the appeal court did not come as a surprise because the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission did not reflect the true vote cast.
But APC said the sack of the Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs amounted to truncating the people’s wish.
In a statement by the PDP Publicity Secretary in the State, Mr Jackson Adebayo, the Party berated INEC for studiously colluded with the All Progressive Congress to steal the mandate which was given to Sen Olujimi and PDP at the poll without minding the Democratic consequences on the nation.
The Party, however, gave kudos to the judiciary for righting the wrong appropriately by declaring Sen Olujimi and PDP as the authentic winner of the National Assembly election.
“We congratulate all members of our Party in the State and particularly congratulate Sen Biodun Olujimi for her courage to fight the battle to a victorious logical conclusion . ”
The Party urge all the leaders as well as members of the Party to see this victory as that of God, hence the need to cooperate to move the Party forward.
“We want to assure all our members that with the victory of Sen Olujimi there is a great future for the Party, what we just need is to walk in unison towards subsequent elections in the State ”
The APC Director of Media and Publicity, Elder Sam Oluwalana, Oluwalana urged the people not to be discouraged by the court judgement, saying that they should continue to support the APC in the state in its quest to turn around the mismanaged economy of the state by immediate past regime.
Oluwalana noted that the short period spent by Senator Adeyeye at the red chamber was indelible and remarkable for the people of Ekiti South and the state in general.
“We commend Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who was highly-reverred by his colleagues in the Upper Chambers, for the exemplary leadership, which he exhibited within the short period he spent in the Senate. We area proud of his achievements during the period, as he was able to manage information outflow, without any scandal in the House”.
He, however, appealed to the people to go about their normal businesses rather than taking the laws into their hand over the judgement.
“We advise our supporters in the state not to be swayed by the judgement, but to rather remain steadfast with the state government, in its quest to make things better for the people of the state”, he added.
