As the people of Oyo State await the final judgment in the petition filed before the governorship election tribunal by the candidate of Accord in the last general election, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has described the alleged palpable apprehension in the camp of the former governor as understandable.

The opposition Accord, at a press briefing held in Ibadan over the weekend, had accused the APC of sponsoring certain reports in a section of the media with a view to claiming victory ahead of the delivery of judgment in its petition before the tribunal sitting in Ibadan.

But in a swift reaction, the APC in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, said that Sen. Ladoja and his supporters were merely looking for excuses which they would claim as being responsible for their inevitable humiliation at the tribunal when the much awaited verdict is delivered any moment from now.

According to him, “It is most worrisome for a former governor and a senior citizen of Sen. Ladoja status to refuse to be democratic enough in pursuit of a phantom ambition. In his attempt to be governor again at all cost since he left office unceremoniously in 2007, Ladoja has always been declaring war against the good people of Oyo State using various instruments of propaganda, violence and conspiracy.

“The onslaught against the APC using the media as a sacrificial lamb is misplaced. How can the APC sponsor a publication in the media to present a false report of the tribunal or any other law court for that matter when we are reputable for being decent and disciplined? Is Ladoja now saying we own the media industry or regulate the activities of editors and other professionals in the media industry?

“To a discerning and informed mind, the report in question is inconsequential to the determination of the petition before the tribunal and we do not see any media organisation as capable of forcing a decision on the tribunal even though we had been a victim of imbalance reportage of the court proceedings by a particular print medium without raising any alarm.

“Therefore, we understand the frustration of Sen. Ladoja and his cohorts at this point in time when he faces involuntary retirement from politics and loss of sympathy from a population of hapless persons he has held hostage in the name of political leadership offer for more than a decade. We urge Ladoja to thread softly and take his impending loss at the tribunal with equanimity.”

•Photo shows Senator Ladoja.

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