By Akinwale Kasali
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has told his teeming supporters not to be perturbed by the news spreading like wildfire, following the ruling of the Appeal Court, that his election has been nullified.
Makinde said the court only gave judgment that the proceedings at the Tribunal were perverse, but had its hands tied as the 180 days for trial at the Tribunal has passed, so it could not order a retrial.
Makinde asked his followers to ignore the sensationalism of the headlines. “No court has ruled against me”, he emphasised.
“It is premature for anyone to wish that a landslide victory can just be upturned. Although, they may wish that such happens, but it won’t ever happen. The mandate was freely given to me by the good people of Oyo State”, the governor said.
Makinde has been widely accepted by the Oyo State people, and this was evident in the Governorship poll, where he garnered a total of 515,621 votes to beat Adebayo Adelabu, his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who polled a total of 357,982 votes.
The governor said there is really nothing to worry about , because, all they, the opposition, are planning is already in the public. He said that the judiciary is credible and won’t allow itself to be used against the will of the Oyo State.
I urge you all to go about your normal businesses, we won’t be distracted in our quest to make Oyo State a model State where good governance and leadership will be the order of the day, Makinde stated.
The four-man panel sitting at the Appeal Court noted that in this situation, the 180 days mandated for the tribunal to operate had lapsed, and there was consequently no reason to touch the ruling of the lower court.
