As Justice Ibrahim Saulawa-led Appeal panel , on Wednesday declared Eyitayo Jegede as the rightful candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo Governorship poll, the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose has commended the verdict, but pointed out that the time was against its party to be able to make headway in the poll.
Fayose , who craved for the postponement of the poll as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did in Edo State Governorship election, added that INEC in cahoots with the All Progressives Congress(APC) had succeeded in undermining the strength of the party through this unwarranted judicial impediment.
The governor, who reacted to the judgement delivered in Abuja setting aside the earlier judgement of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, which had earlier ordered INEC to substitute Jegede’s name, said the postponement remains the best option, if INEC is truly an
unbiased umpire.
Justice Abang had a couple of weeks ago ordered the electoral commission to enlist the name of a business mogul, Mr Jimoh Ibrahim, as the candidate of the PDP in replacement for Jegede.
Fayose said: “The judgement shouldn’t have been otherwise, because you can’t cover the truth. I have said it ab initio that charlatans in the PDP are colluding with INEC and APC to undermine our party.
“INEC has no reason in the first instance to change Jegede’s name. So, this mistake was caused by INEC. It was an INEC making and the best way to for it is for the election to be postponed. This is not the best of time for us in the PDP and the good people of Ondo State .
This is not the best time this judgement should have come.
“But we are still looking for Nigeria of our own, I mean Nigeria where there will be fairness and equity. It is regrettable that some charlatans can be colluding with INEC and APC to destroy our party.
This is very regrettable and unfortunate. But they will still be defeated.
The commission has no reason not to postpone this election , because what the INEC did was a deliberate action to weaken our party.
“This judgement coming at this time is a major setback for our party, which I believe can only be cured if this election is postponed”, Fayose concluded.
Fayose appealed to members of the PDP in Ondo State to be calm and have resolve in the party’s leadership to weather the storm and come out stronger.
