The Ikale Heritage Development Association, IHDA, has congratulated the governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu on his victory at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and his party had challenged Akeredolu’s victory at the October 20, 2020 gubernatorial election from the election petition tribunal down to the Supreme Court even as Akeredolu won in all the stages. But the Apex court threw out the appeal through the window on the grounds of lacking in merit.
“This is a victory ordained by God for the people of Ondo State,” Otunba Sola Olatunji, chairman of the IHDA, said in his reaction to the verdict.
“It is not for nothing that the majority decision delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, upheld Akeredolu’s election on the grounds that the appeal by Eyitayo Jegede and the People’s Democratic Party lacked merit since the appellants failed to include Yobe State Governor and chairman caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Mai Mala Buni, a party in the suit.”
Otunba Olatunji, however calls on Governor Akeredolu not to gloat over his victory but see it as a divine call to hasten the development of the state while stressing that the governor should not hesitate in extending the olive branch to Jegede and any member of the PDP who genuinely wants the progress of the state.
“Now that the cog is over, Governor Akeredolu’s energy should be geared towards rapid development of the state,” he said. “There is no iota of doubt in my mind that the Governor’s desire is to make Ondo State an industrial hub
“Congratulation to the governor and people of Ondo State.”