No cause for alarm –Gov, apc

Willy Eya, Lagos; Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed for lack of merit, an appeal by the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu challenging a July 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, over his election at the primaries of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ondo State.

The judgment came even as the governor and his party, the APC sued for calm and assured the people that there was no cause for alarm.

On Friday in a unanimous judgment on the appeal marked: SC/698?2017, a five-man panel of the Supreme Court held that Akeredolu’s appeal was without merit.

Justice John Okoro, in the lead judgment, but read by Justice Paul Galinje, upheld the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal and awarded N500,000 cost against Akeredolu, in favour of Abraham.

Justice Galinje said: “the appellant went to the Federal High Court to challenge serve of originating summons and other process on him. His challenge was dismissed. At the appeal to the Court of Appeal, his appeal was also dismissed.

“He further appealed to this place and filed six grounds of appeal and formulated four issues for determination of the appeal. My learned brother considered all the issues submitted for the determination of this appeal and came to the conclusion that the appeal lacks merit and ought to be dismissed.”

Justices Ibrahim Tanko, Olukayode Ariwoola, Kumai Akaahs and and Galinje, who were also members of the panel, agreed with the lead judgment.

Akeredolu had challenged the July 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld an order by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of Federal High Court in Abuja, granting permission to Olusegun Abraham to serve Akeredolu through substituted means, court documents in relation to the suit he (Abraham) filed.

Abraham’s suit is challenging the outcome of the primary of the APC), which produced Akeredolu as the party’s candidate for the last governorship election in Ondo State.

In reaction to the Supreme Court judgment, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Segun Ajiboye assured people of the state that there is no cause for alarm.

He explained that the ruling only addressed the mode of service of the Originating Processes which the Appeal Court earlier held was proper. 

 Ajiboye clarified that what the Supreme court ruled on was whether the service of the Originating Process on the APC secretariat in Abuja, instead of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, was right or not.

He enjoined the peace-loving people to see the ruling as a confirmation of the mode of service of the Originating Processes as proper and advised them to continue to support his administration in its determination to develop the state. 

In the same vein, the Ondo State chapter of the APC declared that Akeredolu remains the governor of the state despite the apex  court’s ruling.

The party, in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and

Strategy, Mr. Steve Otaloro, said the ruling was to allow the commencement of the hearing of a case filed by one of the aspirants, Dr. Olusegun Abraham, who participated in the 2016 APC governorship primaries in the state.

He said Akeredolu’s character, popularity and conviction on the fair conduct of the primary election prompted other contestants in the exercise to congratulate him when he was declared winner.