Agboola Ajayi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the last Ondo State governorship election, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of knowing the tribunal’s judgment before it was delivered.
He claimed that this alleged advance knowledge was the reason for the celebration by APC supporters on the streets of Akure shortly after the verdict.
Ajayi said he strongly disagreed with the tribunal’s ruling and plans to take his case to the Court of Appeal. The tribunal had, on June 4, confirmed the victory of APC candidate Lucky Aiyedatiwa in the 2024 governorship election.
The panel, led by Justice Benson Ogbu, dismissed Ajayi’s petition along with others, calling them “frivolous” and lacking in substance.
The PDP candidate insisted that the judgment didn’t give fair consideration to the evidence presented.
In a public statement, he said, “Due cognisance and rapt attention has been accorded to the kernel on which the honourable justices based their findings and conclusion, which in our opinion did not accord proper analysis to details of the evidence and exhibits submitted to tribunal while it sat.”
Ajayi added that he and his legal team are not discouraged and will continue to pursue what they see as justice. He told supporters to stay hopeful and believe that the court system will eventually do the right thing.
In response, the Ondo APC released a strong statement demanding an apology from Ajayi and the PDP. According to the APC’s Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, Ajayi’s comments were “an unfortunate comment that serves as an unwarranted assault on the integrity of Nigeria’s judicial system.”
Otaloro also noted that casting doubt on the judgment simply because it did not favour the PDP was disrespectful to both the judiciary and the voters.
“Such insinuations from Ajayi not only undermine the hard work and dedication of the judiciary but also disrespect the democratic process that the electorate engaged in during the recent governorship election.
“We call on the PDP to tender an unreserved apology to the Nigerian judiciary and to the thousands of voters who participated in the election, which culminated in an unprecedented and overwhelming victory for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
“It is evident that the PDP’s disappointment stems from their inability to secure a favourable verdict, a result they had hoped would allow them to usurp the mandate given to the APC by the electorate.
“Their claims of judicial challenges are nothing more than a reaction to their electoral loss, revealing a pattern of behaviour where the PDP only praises the judiciary when it aligns with their interests.
“Had the verdict favoured them, they would have undoubtedly lauded the very system they now seek to vilify.”
