The court of appeal sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state, has declared Ladi Adebutu the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state.
The judgement was delivered on Tuesday by a three-man appeal panel.
Adebutu and Buruji Kashamu, a serving senator, have both been laying claim to the ticket of the party.
Ruling on a suit filed by Adebutu faction, the court upturned the judgement of an Abeokuta high court which favoured Kashamu.
The panel headed by A. B. Bada, resolved the four issues raised for determination in the appeal in favour of the PDP, saying the appellants were not properly served in the case at the lower court.
Uche Secondus, national chairman of the PDP, had handed over the party’s governorship ticket to Adebutu but the Kashamu faction also unveiled the senator as their candidate.
After Kashamu was unveiled and Reuben Abati, seasoned journalist, as his running mate, the PDP leadership had alleged that the senator was working for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP spokesman, had said the party had pity for Kashamu for “finally turning himself into a clown, in his desperate bid to destabilize the PDP.”
“Senator Buruji, in his forced hallucination, has failed to realize that Nigerians, particularly the voters in Ogun State, have seen through his antics; they know that he is not the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun state; they know that he has a pact with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the PDP; they also know that he is a clown on a journey to no where,” the statement read.
“Nigerians are aware that Senator Buruji never purchased PDP nomination form; never participated in our governorship primary or in any process related to nomination of governorship candidate of our party or any position whatsoever.
“Those using Senator Buruji as their agent have turned him into object of public ridicule, particularly in his charade of organizing a rally to hand a fake flag to himself.
“The PDP therefore urges the people of Ogun state to completely disregard Senator Buruji as a clown and continue in their support for the PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, who is already coasting to victory.”
– Culled