- You have no genuine claims from onset, ruling party tells Akinlade
- We’ve always had our facts –APM
By SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA
The All Progressives Congress in Ogun has said that the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in the 2019 governorship election in the state, Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade, has no genuine claims from the onset to challenge the victory of the incumbent Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, at the election petition tribunal.
The state APC Caretaker Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, said this in an exclusive interview in Abeokuta, while reacting to the claims by Akinlade that his police security had been withdrawn from him, and his life and those of his witnesses in court were under threat.
Oladunjoye cautioned the APM governorship candidate to stop crying wolf where none existed, adding that he had never had genuine claims since the beginning of the case at the election petition tribunal in Abeokuta.
According to him, only Akinlade, a former lawmaker representing Yewa South and Ipokia Federal constituency, can explain what he means that his life and that of his witnesses in the court are under threat.
He advised the APM governorship candidate to make his complaints to the police authorities over the withdrawal of his security details.
He said, “Only the APM candidate can explain and back up his claims. On the issue of his policemen being withdrawn, it is the police authorities that can comment on that.
“What we know as a party is that Akinlade is only rabble-rousing. He had no genuine claims from the onset. We were all in Ogun State during the elections. We knew which party had its members arrested for electoral offences during the elections.”
But in a swift reaction, the APM said all of its candidate’s claims at the election petition tribunal were genuine and backed with facts.
APM’s senatorial candidate for the Ogun West Senatorial District in the just concluded election, Hon. Olusegun Gbeleyi, who said the party was presenting 50 witnesses in court, maintained that they had always had facts for their claims at the tribunal.
“Whether we have a case or not, it is not for us to make the judgment until the tribunal gives its judgment. If we don’t have our facts, why are we in court, why are we presenting about 50 witnesses? We are going to wait until we hear the verdict of the tribunal,” he said.
