The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has expressed his disappointment with the decision of the Ogun State election petition tribunal to dismiss his petition against Dapo Abiodun, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), based on technicalities.
This development, which occurred on Saturday, saw the tribunal striking out Adebutu’s petition for alleged incompetency and lack of merit.
In a statement released by Afolabi Orekoya, the Director of Media for the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, the PDP candidate described the tribunal’s judgment as “disheartening and a big threat to democracy.”
Adebutu further emphasized that the judgment was solely based on technicalities, without proper consideration of the substantial merits and evidence presented during the trial.
Undeterred by the dismissal, Adebutu vowed to explore all available legal avenues to ensure justice is served and the mandate is retrieved.
He expressed disappointment in the tribunal’s approach, which seemed to prioritize technicalities and the use of English language, rather than conducting a thorough examination of the compelling evidence presented before them.
The PDP candidate asserted that the petitioners presented substantial evidence that raised serious questions about the conduct of the governorship election in Ogun State, including the discovery of marked ballot papers.
He firmly believed that a more diligent examination of the evidence would have exposed the true nature of the irregularities and discrepancies that marred the election.
In Adebutu’s words, “During the trial, our legal team presented ample evidence establishing non-compliance, voters’ harassment, intimidation leading to the disenfranchisement of over 49,000 voters – a number higher than the margin of lead of 13,915 as ‘purportedly’ declared by INEC. We also uncovered instances of ballot box snatching and overvoting, among other electoral malpractices.”
He added that their claims were backed by duly certified true copies of documents obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), along with official receipts to justify the concerns raised in their petition.
Expressing their strong disapproval of the tribunal’s judgment, Adebutu affirmed that their legal team had been instructed to appeal the decision. He assured the people of Ogun State that he remained steadfast in fighting for their rights and aspirations, undeterred by this setback.
