OGUN COUNCILLORSHIP ASPIRANTS WITHDRAW SUITS AGAINST, APC, OGSIEC

OGUN COUNCILLORSHIP ASPIRANTS WITHDRAW SUITS AGAINST, APC, OGSIEC

Two Ogun councillorship aspirants; Osularu Olabanjo Muyiwa and Olalekan Olaleye Babatunde from Ward five and three respectively in Iperu, Ikenne local government have withdrawn the suits filed against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ogun State as well as Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) over allegations bordering on substitution of their names for the local governments elections slated for this Saturday.

Their decision to withdraw the law suit filed before the State High Court, Sagamu was said to have been consequent upon the intervention of the governor of the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun who incidentally is also from Iperu Remo, the hometown of the two Councillorship aspirants.

Osularu Olabanjo Muyiwa had told the court that after winning the councillorship primaries of the ruling party for Ward five, Iperu Remo, he was surprised to note that when the list of councillorship candidates for the forthcoming local government was released on June 24, his name had been substituted for one Hon Efuwape Olaitan Muhammed, the current Vice Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Ikenne local government who never participated in the primaries.

Relying on relevant sections of the APC 2014 constitution as amended as well as 2010 Electoral Acts as amended, Osularu Olabanjo Muyiwa is therefore through the law firms of Fazaz Segun Daud and Co and Hussein Omikunle and Co asking the State High Court to quash this injustice and reinstate him as the APC councillorship candidate for Iperu Ward five during this Saturday local government elections.

Olalekan Olaleye Babatunde in a separate suit before same Sagamu High Court had also explained how his name after winning the councillorship primaries for Iperu Ward three was substituted for one Hon Lekan Osinowo whom he defeated by 11 votes urging the court to help look into this seemingly electoral fraud.

However, speaking with our Correspondent on Wednesday, Osularu and Olalekan said they decided to withdraw the court case against the party due to what they termed as the fatherly intervention of the governor of the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun as well as the need to preserve further the unity of the party as it focusses on achieving 100% victory in Saturday local government elections.

A party chieftain from the local government, Mr Armstrong ‘Tope Akintunde also told our Correspondent that the APC members in the local government are very happy that the two councillorship aspirants have decided to withdraw their suits against the ruling party after the “highly appreciated intervention of the governor” adding that “this is no doubt another boost to our desire to continue to strengthen the party such that this Saturday local government elections and Gov Abiodun return to office in 2023 will be a walk over”.

It would be recalled that Gov Abiodun has said it repeatedly during the ongoing APC campaign for the forthcoming local government elections that he would ensure that all that contested during the primaries but lost out would be adequately compensated.