The Allied People’s Movement (APM), Oyo State chapter has dissociated itself from a suit challenging the re-election of Governor Seyi Makinde.
Secretary, Election Petition Tribunal in Oyo State, Mr Ibrahim Sada, had on Monday, confirmed the receipt of two petitions challenging the outcome of the Oyo Governorship election.
Sada had said the first petition against the election outcome was filed by the APM and its candidate, Mr Adeniran Oluwaseyi, while the second was filed by the Action (AA) and its candidate, Mr Babatunde Ajala.
But reacting to the development, on Tuesday, the Oyo APM chairman, Mr Adegbenro Fagbemi said none of the state exco or the party’s governorship candidate, Adeniran Oluwaseyi was aware of the filing of the petition against the outcome of the Oyo governorship election.
Asked who would have filed the petition, Fagbemi, speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, said it came from the National Secretariat of the party, as it was discovered that the party’s chief litigant appended his signature to the petition.
He said it was baffling that the State chapter was not carried along and the national Secretariat acted on its own in filing the petition.
Fagbemi said there was no objection to Makinde’s victory at the state level, adding that he was at the collation centre and signed the result sheet on behalf of the party on the day the election result was announced. Asked if there were factions of APM in the State, Fagbemi said the party was one in Oyo State.
Fagbemi urged party members and members of the public, particularly residents of Oyo State, to disregard the petition, saying the state chapter of the party was not prepared for any litigation.
Fagbemi said: “I am not aware. Whoever must have thought of that should have carried me along. I am the state chairman of APM in Oyo State. I have never been found wanting. We had the governorship election, I was at the Collation Centre and I signed the result sheet of which I have my copy. There was no objection from this state either from the governorship candidate himself or me, the party Chairman. None of the excos of the party was aware, the governorship candidate was also taken aback.
“It came from the national office because the lawyer that signed it is the man in charge of litigations of the party. The National office of my party may have acted on its own as far as this matter is concerned.”
Similarly, the governorship candidate of the party, Oluwaseye Adeniran, in a separate statement, debunked the report of filing any suit to challenge the outcome of the governorship election in Oyo State.
He said, moreover, the first name used in the petition was “Oluwaseyi” and not “Oluwaseye” which is his real name, and that that counters the petition.
” I will like to charge members of the public to disregard the petition. It is illegal for anyone, no matter how highly placed, to file a petition that directly concerns me without my consent.”
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