The Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-parliamentary Affairs, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, APC, Ondo South has bowed to President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in the Ondo State forthcoming gubernatorial election as he withdrew a suit he filed against the party’s candidate, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State and the Independent National Electoral Commission on alleged irregularities on governorship primary conducted last month.
According to him, based on the intervention of President Tinubu, he had to honour him by withdrawing the suit as his one year anniversary cake, just as he said that his actions were also based on phone calls he received from President Tinubu and physical meeting held with him at the Villa which lasted for over an hour.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Ibrahim explained that the litigation was not about himself, but for the sole purpose of ensuring internal party democracy, which he alleged was bastardized in the APC governorship primary election conducted across the 18 local government councils and 203 wards in Ondo State by electoral panel headed by Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State.
Recall that Ibrahim had after the conduct of the primary election held on Saturday, April 20, 2024 across the 18 local government councils in the state appealed against it and slammed litigation on APC, Governor Aiyedatiwa who was declared as winner and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But two weeks after the litigation, Ibrahim announced to journalists that he was withdrawing the case as a mark of respect for President Tinubu.
The Senator said, “The suit is now withdrawn due to the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. The President called me, had a meeting with me, and assured me that he will as the leader of the party improve on internal democracy within our party, and I will need to withdraw the case to enable him to chart a way forward.
“The Governor of Ondo State Lucky Aiyedatiwa earlier visited my Asokoro residence for several hours after another unsuccessful visit to my hotel room in Akure.
“I cannot disobey the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the issue I am fighting for is not personal. It is simply to improve internal democracy to which the President has promised improvement. My respect for the President is absolute.
“Let me use this opportunity to thank Mr. President for the words of wisdom and encouragement during my meeting with him which lasted over one hour and his various interactions with me on the telephone during which he emphasized his commitment to internal democracy over and over again.
“The withdrawal of this legendary suit coincides with the first anniversary of Mr. President’s incredible performance in office, and this is my gift of the “cake” of the first anniversary.”
