As political gladiators in Ondo State warm-up for Saturdays governorship election, ADEBIYI ADEDAPO examines the options before Governor Olusegun Mimiko as his candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, may not participate in the electionAs political focus shifts to Ondo State ahead of Saturdays governorship election in the state, incumbent Governor, Olusegun Abdulraman Mimiko may be the greatest loser in the current political situation.The seasoned politician will by now have more reasons to regret his 2014 defection from the Labour Party which brought him to power to the People Democratic Party (PDP).Also, the PDP will after the November 26 election learn a fresh lesson in another hard way, and perhaps learn to manage internal crisis without putting the larger interest of the party at great risk.The party whose governorship candidate in the election is still a subject of litigation will no doubt go into the election with a divided front.All hopes to restore Mimikos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Eyitayo Jegede as the authentic candidate of the party in the Saturday election seemed lost as the Court of Appeal last week aborted its planned judgment.Justice Ibrahim Salauwa, who led the three-judge panel, arrived in court and stated that a judgment slated Friday 18th November could no longer be delivered because the Supreme Court had transmitted to the Court of Appeal that an appeal was pending before it.The panel was billed to deliver judgment on the appeal filed by a governorship candidate from the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the party, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, but was stopped by a motion filed at the Supreme Court by the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction, spearheaded by Prince Biyi Poroye.Appeals by Makarfi and Jegede are challenging the orders of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 29 and October 14, 2016, upon which INEC replaced Jegedes name from the list of governorship candidates, withcandidate of the Ali Modu Sheriffs faction, Jimoh Ibrahim.However, Poroye and others approached the Supreme Court, praying the apex court to order the Court of Appeal panel to stop further proceedings with the hearing of the appeals.This is the second panel of the Court of Appeal that allegations of bias would be raised against by prince Poroye. The first panel led by Justice Jummai Sankey threw in the towel following bribery allegations against its members.In the motion before the Supreme Court, the three-man panel was accused of bias and abuse of oath of office and flagrant and blatant breach of judicial precedents.The motion, which joined members of the panel as 6th and 7th respondents, also asked for an order of the Supreme Court disqualifying the panel from further sitting on the appeals on the grounds that they have betrayed their oath of office.Sheriffs faction is praying for an order invoking disciplinary jurisdiction of the court to set aside the proceedings of November 16, 2016 in of the special panel sitting in Abuja division of the Court of Appeal.Poroye also prayed the court for an order restraining and forbidding further proceedings in the lower court by the panel of the Court of Appeal pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice and notice for stay of proceedings pending at the Supreme Court on the ground that such further proceedings would be in flagrant and blatant breach of the doctrine of lis pendis, stare decisis and violation of the required regard for the Supreme Court.However, it is doubtful whether or not the Supreme Court would hear the matter and decide the rightful leadership of the party which will in turn determine the authentic governorship candidate before the election.Should the apex court decide to give its judgment after the election, the PDP will be the best looser, as the two factions are not working to at least win the election first in the name of the party, and then allow the court determine the authentic candidate in due course.In realisation of this, the PDP faction led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should postpone the election to a later date, so as to allow the court ample time to decide on the authentic candidate of the party.The party warned that both the Federal Government and the electoral body should be ready to take responsibility for the consequences of the clandestine plan to scheme PDPs candidate out of the governorship contest.According to a statement issued on Saturday by the partys spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the PDP faction described the indefinite adjournment of its appeal case against the judgment given by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja as a ploy to ensure that the legitimate candidate of the party is prevented from contesting the election.We call on INEC to postpone the election pending the determination of the suit before the Supreme Court. We make this call against the backdrop of the fact that INEC is a party to the suit before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and is well aware of the steps taken by certain parties to the Suit to frustrate the course of justice, he said.Adeyeye who blamed the government for the partys predicament said action of the Court of Appeal had clearly shown that its Justices have succumbed to the bullying and intimidating tactics adopted by the Directorate of State Security Services during recent raids on residences of some of the judges.But APC in a statement signed by its National Secretary, described PDPs candidacy tussle as self-inflicted.The PDP cannot hold Ondo state and indeed the country hostage on account of its internal crisis. Instead of making the ridiculous election postponement request on INEC, the PDP should focus and redirect its energy towards putting its house in order, the statement said.APC however urged INEC to ignore PDPs bizarre request and concentrate on delivering a free, fair, credible and transparent ballot on Election Day.INEC has however said it was going ahead with the scheduled election because there was no justification for postponement.Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the Commission, Rotimi Oyekanmi noted that INEC was not contemplating a postponement, as the attendant conflicts in the build up to the election in the state are strictly the partys affair and not that of the electoral umpire.Should INEC deicide to go on with the election as scheduled, a last minute realignment is expected. The wise choice of the PDP stakeholders working together to achieve victory may be foreclosed, and Mimiko will have to decide whose camp to lead his political machineries.Already, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rotimi Akeredolu, and an aggrieved aspirant of the party, who is now contesting under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) Olusola Oke are both leading campaigns in the state, while Jimoh Ibrahim is also making efforts to reach the grassroots people.With Jegede out of the radar, victory may be very far from the PDP as Jimoh Ibrahim is unlikely to have enough political punches to batter the duo of Akeredolu and Oke, without the PDP Mimikos PDP structure.With this reality steering Mimiko to his face, the Governor his banned to take decision that will first ensure his political survival and relevance, at the same time ensure his safety after office.The first option is to await a favorable decision from the court and concentrate on the campaign to enthrone Jegede as the next governor of the state. This option however seems belated as the election is just less than a week, and Jegedes camp already lost a lot of supporters.Another option is for Mimiko to close ranks with his erstwhile benefactor and APC national leader, Bola Tinubu who is said to be heavily funding Olusola Okes campaign.While the third option is for Mimiko to support candidate of the APC, Akeredolu, whose campaign train is losing steam.National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and three of the partys four governors in the South-west were conspicuous absent at the grand finale of Akereodolus campaign last Saturday in Akure led by President Muhanmmadu Buhari.The only South-west governor present was Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State. Other party stalwarts present at the rally include Senate President, Bukola Saraki, state governors, ministers, National Chairman of the Party, John Odigie Oyegun and members of the National Working Committee of the party.
Click here to read full news..
