PDP kicks against Lagos tribunal ruling

The Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the ruling of the governorship election petitions tribunal which struck out its petition on Wednesday.

The tribunal struck out a petition challenging the victory of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in the April 11 governorship election.

The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Muhhamed Sirajo, ruled on the case after Ambode’s lawyer Wole Olanipekun, requested that the tribunal should strike out the petition for being incompetent, bringing to an end the tribunal sitting that had started in May.

However, the Lagos chapter of the PDP described the ruling as a miscarriage of justice and a “monumental drawback in the dispensation of justice.”

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, the party had decided to appeal the ruling while also considering a report of the “obvious miscarriage of justice by the election petitions panel” to the National Judicial Council for necessary disciplinary actions.

The statement read in part, “The governorship election tribunal that sat at Ikeja had today (Wednesday) struck out the petition filed by the PDP and its governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje. The three-man panel tribunal described the petition as worthless because it did not contain a relief for re-run election.

“It would be recalled that the PDP recently raised its hope in winning the petition based on the recent judgment of an Edo election petitions tribunal which declared a PDP candidate as winner of the election because the All Progressives Congress did not meet up with the provisions of the electoral act on notice of conduct of party primary. We are very jolted and embarrassed that our petition can die prematurely without it being heard on the merit. We think there is a miscarriage of justice here.”

The party alleged foul play by the APC in influencing the decision of the panel, arguing that Ambode’s nomination as a governorship candidate is invalid.

“They (APC) must have influenced this step knowing well that governor Ambode’s nomination is invalid and not qualified to be a valid candidate for the election. They robbed us at the ballots. They want to do same at the tribunal. We will pursue this mandate even with the last drop of our blood,” Gani said.