The All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured its members that there is no cause for worry following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling on the Ondo gubernatorial election.
National Secretary of the Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe said this Thursday at an emergency media briefing at the APC National Secretariat, Abuja.
The status of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the party was a major contentious issue in the matter, The Herald can report.
Recall that the apex court in a majority decision validated the election of Rotimi Akeredolu SAN as duly elected Governor of Ondo State.
However, the court’s ruling as concerns the legality of the Mai Mala-Buni-led committee had threatened the local and state congresses of the party scheduled to commence on Saturday.
“We stand with our National Chairman, we will go ahead with the congresses as planned,” Akpanudoedehe said.
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Supreme Court judgement
In a joint petition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the Ondo election, Eyitayo Jegede SAN queried the legal validity of Akeredolu’s nomination by the Buni-led committee.
The appellants urged the Supreme Court to determine whether Buni, who is currently Governor of Yobe State, could double as National Chairman of the APC to sign Akeredolu’s nomination form for the governorship election.
The appellants based their argument on Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which states that “the governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever”.
Although the Justice Theresa Orji-Abadua-led seven-man panel dismissed the case in a majority decision of 4-3, it acknowledged that the issues raised by the appellants had constitutional implications.
However, the court held that the appellants should have joined Buni as a party to the suit.