Buni, Akeredolu to Vacate Seats? Anxiety Rocks APC as Supreme Court Decides on Ondo Guber

Buni, Akeredolu to Vacate Seats? Anxiety Rocks APC as Supreme Court Decides on Ondo Guber

  • In no time, the decision of the Supreme Court in Abuja on the Ondo governorship election will be out in the public domain
  • The case is between Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Eyitayo Jegede, the PDP candidate in the last gubernatorial poll
  • There are reports that the APC and the Ondo governor are eagerly waiting for a favourable ruling from the apex court on Wednesday, July 28

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Nigerian Tribune is reporting that there is serious tension among chieftains and principal members of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja as the Supreme Court is to give a verdict on Governor Rotimi Akeredolu's election victory.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, is challenging the nomination letter of Akeredolu signed by Mai Mala Buni who doubles as the governor of Yobe and the interim chairman of the ruling's party's caretaker committee.

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Buni, Akeredolu and President Buhari at the State House, Abuja
A contrary verdict from the Supreme Court will mean serious trouble both for Buni and Akeredolu (Photo: All Progressives Congress)
Source: Facebook

The publication on Wednesday, July 28, said an APC source who spoke without giving his name disclosed that executive members of the party are afraid that if the court gives a judgment different from the ruling of the Court of Appeal, there will be serious trouble within the ranks.

The source said a contrary verdict from the Supreme Court will mean that Buni might be faced with the tough option of vacating his seat in the APC, The Nation also reported.

It was implied that this case is beyond Akeredolu's mandate as the seating governor of Ondo.

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He said:

“This case is more than the Ondo state governor; it is a case that has the potency of obliterating the entire APC structure in the country. 

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“If the verdict goes contrary to what the lower courts have decided, it means that we cannot come out of the crisis until 2023.
“The implication is that our chairman has to vacate his seat, all he had done before would be null and void, especially all our candidates who won elections within the period he has held the office shall vacate their seats."

Ondo guber: Victory not sealed for Akeredolu as Jegede plans to take brave step

Legit.ng had earlier reported that although the petition filed by Jegede was recently dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Ondo, Akeredolu still had a tough hurdle to cross.

A day after the appellate court ruled in favour of Governor Akeredolu's election, Jegede, the candidate of the PDP, had vowed to take the matter to the Supreme Court.

In a statement issued through the PDP's secretariat in the state, Jegede argued that the next best thing to do is to approach the apex court since it was glaring even to the average person that the case was inconclusive.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Onyirioha Nnamdi avatar

Onyirioha Nnamdi Onyirioha Nnamdi is a graduate of Literature and English Language at the University of Lagos. He is a Politics/Current Affairs Editor who writes on news and political topics for Legit.ng. He brings into his reporting a wealth of experience in creative and analytical writing. Nnamdi has a major interest in local and global politics. He has a professional certificate from Reuters and was awarded the editor with the best listicle for 2021. Contact: 08062988054, o.nnamdi@corp.legit.ng