Daud Olatunji
The People’s Democratic Party, Ogun State chapter has expressed concerns over the assignment of a judge with strong ties to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to oversee a critical case challenging the eligibility of PDP candidates for the upcoming local government elections in Ogun State.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the case, filed just days before the election, questions the party membership of PDP candidates, aiming to potentially disrupt their candidacy.
PLATFORM TIMES further gathered that the case was instituted by former chairman of the PDP in the state, Sikirulahi Ogundele and was billed to be president over by Justice Sunday Adeniyi.
Addressing the media at the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta,on Wednesday, the state chairman of the party,Hon. Abayomi Tella, accused the ruling APC of orchestrating a series of legal and procedural hurdles to bar the PDP from effectively participating in the local elections scheduled for November 16.
Tella accused the former chairman of being used by the APC to sabotage the chances of the PDP ahead of the Saturday local government election.
Tella said “This is a deliberate and desperate attempt by the state government and the APC to silence opposition parties, especially our party, the PDP,” he stated.
Tella highlighted multiple alleged attempts by the APC to interfere with the PDP’s campaign efforts, including disruptions during party congresses and the submission of parallel candidate lists to the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC).
These, he noted, were strategies that ultimately failed.
According to Tella, the latest lawsuit challenging the party membership of PDP’s candidates is a continuation of these efforts.
He questioned the timing and legitimacy of the case, citing the electoral guidelines which specify that only those who directly contest an election can legally challenge the candidacy of another.
“It’s the role of a party to define its membership, not for individuals or rival parties to decide,” he asserted.
The PDP chairman stressed his concern about the judge assigned to oversee the case, detailing his past associations with the APC.
“We believe in the rule of law and respect the judiciary,” he said, “but it’s crucial to note that the assigned judge is a former APC card-carrying member, a former Caretaker Chairman of Ikenne Local Government, and previously the Director-General of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Senate campaign in 2015.
He was also appointed as a judge by Governor Abiodun during his first term.”
Despite these associations, Tella clarified that the PDP is not questioning the judge’s integrity, but emphasized that the party hopes for impartiality in the proceedings.
“We are simply advising that if he cannot recuse himself, he should uphold true justice in alignment with the rule of law,” he added.
Tella also used the opportunity to appeal to Ogun State Independent Elctoral Commission for fairness and transparency in the election process.
He urged the commission to ensure equitable distribution of election materials across the 20 local government areas and the timely release of authentic result sheets for each of the 5,042 polling units.
“We expect that all results will be declared at each respective collation center, from the wards up to the local government level, without interference,” he stated.
Tella called on Ogun State citizens to support PDP candidates in the upcoming polls, vowing that the party would bring the “dividends of democracy” to the grassroots if given the mandate.
Attempts to get the reaction from the APC failed as the party Chairman,Yemi Sanusi could not be reached as of the time of filing this report .
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