LCDA Candidate Files Appeal Over Election Tribunal Ruling
• Describes Judgment As A Great Miscarriage Of Justice
APEOPLES Democratic Party ( PDP) candidate for Coker- Aguda Local Council, Alfred Olayemi Thomas has described the ruling by the elections tribunal as a great miscarriage of justice and has vowed to upturn it at the Appeal’s tribunal.
The former All Progressives Congress ( APC), House of Representatives aspirant, Surulere Constituency II in 2018, and strong political ally of both the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwolu and Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Thomas, said that what happened at the elections tribunal was a ‘ sham’.
A statement made available to The Guardian, read in parts: “Despite the loads of video, audio and picture evidence we provided to prove that the local council election held in Coker- Aguda Local Council Development Area ( LCDA) was marred with a lot of irregularities, the tribunal judge struck out our case on the flimsy excuse that we were five minutes late to the hearing.
Meanwhile, this was the same judge that had been adjoining for the defendants that sometimes did not bother to show up at so many hearings,” the former APC stalwart, who left the party due to alleged godfatherism and imposition of candidate, stated.
“There was an incident, where one of the supporters of our party’s candidate was severely beaten up right inside the premises of the tribunal by a mob. Our lawyer drew the attention of the judge to the incident and all he did was to nod his head and did not say a word further.”
The Appeal, according to the PDP candidate has been filed and he is optimistic that justice will prevail at the Appeals hearing, “because the evidence at the election tribunal judge refused to admit as exhibit before striking out our case is overwhelming. We enjoin all our teeming supporters to keep calm; they should not resort to violence even in the face of arrogant provocation by some elements. Victory is assured.”