Our Congresses Will Go On, Says APC

There were concerns about the congresses after the Supreme Court judgement on the Ondo governorship election.

After the judgement, the minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Festus Keyamo (SAN), advised the APC to halt all preparations and conduct of congresses.

“The planned congresses across the country slated for this weekend must immediately be suspended because it will be an exercise in futility as analysed above. The competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni to organise the congresses has been called to question by the Supreme Court,” Keyamo had said.

But in a statement on Thursday, John Akpan Udohedehe, secretary of the caretaker committee, said the Supreme Court judgement has nothing to do with the committee.

The apex court, had in a split decision of four-to-three on Wednesday, dismissed the appeal brought by Eyitayo Jedege, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the October 10, 2020 governorship election.

The majority judgment of the seven-member panel, which was read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, said it found no reason to set aside the concurrent judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Ondo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which had dismissed Jegede’s petition for lack of merit.

But Justice Mary Odili, in a dissenting minority verdict, upheld Jegede’s appeal that the nomination of Akeredolu, which was signed by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, was not valid under Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999.