By HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, Akure

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has expressed fear over the future of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) saying the future of the party is uncertain following the Supreme Court judgement over the Ondo State governorship election.

Akeredolu who stated this while featuring on a programme on Arise TV said the judgement exposed the ruling party to a bleak political future which might affect the party in future elections.

The governor who said he has strong reservations about the Supreme Court judgement on the governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni continued to stay in the office said, “The verdict of four to three meant I escaped by the whiskers. From the onset, I told the party the case was a long dagger drawn in the heart of the APC.

“On Buni, I have said it privately and I’m not inclined to continue to make it a media issue but I must say this, I have very strong reservations about the legality or otherwise of his position. I can say this because I bore the brunt, I was at the centre of it all.

It will be recalled that the Supreme Court in a slim majority judgment of four-three split decision had dismissed the petition filed by Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) candidate in the 2020 Ondo State governorship election, Eyitayo Jegede, against the Akeredolu and APC.

The majority judgment of the Supreme Court held that the failure of the appellants to include Buni as a party was fatal to their case because all the issues in the appeal revolved around Buni and ought to have been made a party.

Jegede’s arguments were premised on the provisions of section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) (the “Constitution”) and Article 17 of the APC Constitution.

The Supreme Court, however, held that the appeal revolved around Governor Buni, and he was, therefore, a necessary party to the appeal.

The failure to join Buni as a party was held to be fatal to the appeal and the appeal was dismissed on this ground.

In dismissing the appeal, the majority decision did not consider the merits of the arguments on Section 183 of the Constitution and Article 17 of the APC Constitution.

The minority judgment of the Supreme Court however agreed with Jegede and held that Governor Buni is not eligible to hold the office of Caretaker Chairman of the APC by virtue of Section 183 of the Constitution and Article 17(iv) of the APC Constitution and allowed the appeal. (Nigerian Tribune)

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