Supreme Court ruling: A big distraction now behind me – Ajimobi
By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi has said the good works embarked upon by his administration will continue in earnest as the distractions arising from petitions filed against his re-election by the Accord Party governorship candidate in the last general elections, Senator Rashidi Ladoja are out of the way.
The governor stated this in his reaction to the Supreme Court dismissal of Senator Ladoja’s petition against his re-election.
Ajimobi in the statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Mr Yomi Layinka, declared that with the dismissal of Ladoja’s petition by the apex court, the time has come for the Ibadan High Chief and his followers to turn their energies to better and more productive ends in the interest of the state and its development.
“At last the Supreme Court has graciously freed the people of Oyo State from the painful distractions mounted on their path by Senator Rashidi Ladoja and his Accord Party in the past many months. Three times the victory of Senator Abiola Ajimobi at the 2015 governorship election was challenged, three times he has been resoundingly declared winner,” he said.
Lamenting that, “although all men and women of goodwill pleaded with the Ladoja camp to accept defeat and cooperate with the winner in the onerous task of rebuilding the legacies of our heroes past, they bluntly refused,” Governor Ajimobi said “other contestants from other parties quickly conceded defeat and indeed proceeded to congratulate the winner”,
“Senator Ladoja and his party refused to play the gallant losers, preferring instead to fight to the finish. But we were never for once bothered knowing full well that the people had spoken so clearly and unmistakably on that historic April day by returning a vote of confidence in the candidate in whom they were well pleased”.
The governor pointed out that “now that their fight is exhausted and their wind vanes broken, we hope Senator Rashidi Ladoja and his band will henceforth turn their energies to better and more productive ends in the interest of our dear state and its development”.
The governor while thanking God and the people of Oyo State for their steadfastness to the collective vision of a renewed and sustainable state, lauded Nigerian judiciary for their sustained efforts at offering hope to all citizens and justice to all, without let or hindrance.
It will be recalled that the Supreme Court in Abuja had early in the day dismissed Senator Ladoja’s petition for lack of merit.
