Following the split decision of the Supreme Court which put an end to his legal efforts to wrest power from Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Rotimu Akeredolu SAN, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at the last election two years ago,, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has congratulated Akeredolu.
In its split judgment of four-to-three on Wednesday, the apex court upheld the victory of Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Oct. 10, 2020 governorship election.
In the majority judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, four of the seven-member panel dismissed the appeal by Eyitayo Jegede and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on the grounds that it was incompetent.
Agim upheld an earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal in a suit filed by Jegede and his party which was earlier dismissed as incompetent, having failed to include Yobe governor and Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC, Mai Mala Buni, as a party.
But in the minority judgment read by Justice Mary Peter-Odili, the court upheld the appeal and dismissed the cross appeal by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Akeredolu and APC.
Odili and two other members of the panel were of the view that since the APC, for which Buni acted, was a party in the case, there was no need to include him as a party.
The main appeal was filed by Jegede, the candidate of the PDP, challenging the competence of APC’s sponsorship of Akeredolu for the election.
Jegede had approached the elections petitions tribunal praying that the declaration of Akeredolu as the winner of the election by INEC should be set aside.
He also prayed the apex court to declare him winner on the grounds that the emergence of the APC candidate breached the nation’s constitution.
On June 16, 2020, the Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua-led Court of Appeal sitting in Akure had dismissed the PDP’s candidate’s petition, upholding the result of the election that declared Akeredolu winner.
Said Jegede in his statement on Wednesday: “Now that we have explored the grievance procedure permitted by the constitution and the law, it is time to give glory to God.
“We thank specially our legal team, under the leadership of Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, OON, SAN, FCIArb, for their commitment, industry and dedication to our cause. Over and above all, we thank them for their sacrifice.
“We are thankful to the people of Ondo State for their steadfastness, we were in this for service and for the collective interest of the majority of our people. The outcome of today’s judgement should not deter good and well-meaning individuals from aspiring for leadership in our State and in our Country. For all our people who have stood strong, we salute you.
“We thank the National and State leadership, and the generality of the members of PDP for providing us with great support. For our governors who provided the required leadership and kept faith with our aspiration, GRATITUDE, history will judge you right.
“With this outcome, our respect and reverence for the judiciary and our justices of the supreme court has not diminished.
“I congratulate HE Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.”