Supreme Court Ruling: Resign As APC Chairman, PDP Tells Governor Buni

The opposition party in a statement on Wednesday said its call is based on the minority ruling of the Supreme Court in the 2020 Ondo State Governorship Election case.

TrackNews Online recalls that though the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the APC and its candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu in a 4-3 judgment on Wednesday, the minority ruling read by Justice Mary Odili noted that Buni’s position as a sitting Governor and also the national chairman of the APC is strange to the law and is a violation of both the party’s constitution and the 1999 constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

Odili argued that Buni as a sitting governor was wrong to have presided over the process that produced Akeredolu as the candidate of the APC.

Based on this, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan while addressing a press conference at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, urged Buni to immediately resign as the national chairman of the APC.

“We insist that in line with the split decision of the Supreme Court judgement, there is no way that Mai Mala Buni as governor of Yobe state can also function as chairman of All Progressives Congress. That is totally an aberration of the doctrine and dictates as established in the All Progressives Congress constitution as well as the 1999 constitution (as amended).

“We insist that the process that led to the emergence of Gov. Akeredolu was and remains a violation of the APC constitution as well as the 1999 constitution. Section 183 of the 1999 constitution states that no governor should hold any other position in any capacity apart from the office of the governor. As you know, this was the major ground upon which we went to the Supreme Court,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu on his Supreme Court victory on Wednesday.

The President in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said the court victory will strengthen the belief of the people in the judicial process.

He urged the Governor to always put the interest of the people first.