Oyo Guber Judgement: Ladoja on wild goose chase – APC
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Tuesday in Ibadan described the decision of the Accord Party governorship candidate in Oyo state in the last general election, Senator Rashidi Ladoja to appeal the tribunal judegement as “a premeditated wild goose chase expected of a retiring political player”.
The party in a statement made available to journalists and signed by its Director of Publicity and Strategy in the state, Comrade Olawale Sadare declared that it was unfortunate that the former governor could still be contemplating going to Court of Appeal to challenge the victory of Governor Abiola Ajimobi after last week dismissal of his petition by the Mohammed Maiyaki-led election petition Tribunal.
APC in the statement lashed out at Senator Ladoja for “creating unnecessary tension in the state before, during and after the 2015 general elections over nothing and it is not out of place now to wish him what he wishes himself at political retirement which Sen. Ajimobi and the good people of the state have sent him against his wish”.
“A popular wise saying suggests that one should quit the stage while the ovation is loudest but Ladoja bowed to his innate spirit of covetousness and over-stretched his luck and thus outlived his relevance in the politics of Oyo State. As corruption makes a civil servant in his late fifties to falsify his record with a view to remaining in service for a longer period not minding the sharp decline in his productivity, former governor Ladoja did not see anything wrong in imposing himself on unsuspecting followers as a life political leader and we have succeeded in emancipating a good number of his victims.
“The Accord Party and its governorship candidate did not lose the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial poll at the court but at the polling units where a vast population of informed voters nailed Ladoja’s political coffin,” it said.
APC added that “the watery argument from the Accord Party camp was that no election was held on the said date but this was punctured at the tribunal by most of Ladoja’s witnesses. With eight good seats in the State House of Assembly”, saying, “the opposition party unfortunately benefited from the same election and expected this to translate into victory for its gubernatorial candidate even when the APC had led it with more than 10 seats and over 70, 000 valid votes.
“Therefore, approaching the tribunal to upturn the mandate freely given to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the last governorship election in the state is tantamount to seeking an open miracle with which one can turn a pit latrine into a well where potable water could be drawn. We can only wish Ladoja a long life at retirement notwithstanding his decision to further engage in shadow chasing over the last April election”.
Claiming that Senator Ladoja had squared up with Gov. Ajimobi over the outcome of the April poll which he claimed was manipulated against him and he left no one in doubt of his resolve to reclaim what he called “my stolen mandate” through the instrumentality of law, APC said “the 71-year old Ibadan high Chief has had his hope dashed by the tribunal which ruled that his case lacked merit as it was filed only to abuse court process and heading to the Court of Appeal over the same cause”.
