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Tag: Akeredolu

  • Just in: Akeredolu declares public holiday in Ondo to mark his 2nd inauguration as governor

    Just in: Akeredolu declares public holiday in Ondo to mark his 2nd inauguration as governor

    Ondo State Governor, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has declared tomorrow, Wednesday work free day to celebrate his second term inauguration.

    In a circular signed by the Ondo State Head of Service, Aderemi Olabode on the subject matter, accounting officers were instructed to note the circular and disseminate same to all staff of their respective Ministries, Departments and agencies (MDAs).

    Meanwhile, the second term inauguration ceremony of Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the governor of Ondo State has been scheduled to hold on February 24 (tomorrow), at the International Culture and Event Center, Igbatoro Road, Akure, which ordinarily sits 1,800 persons.

    The chairperson of the inauguration committee and deputy governor -elect, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, told journalists in Akure recently that the inauguration and all the ancillary activities would be low-key, due to the prevailing economic situation in the state.

    Mr Akeredolu was re-elected governor of the state on October 10, 2020, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, and the current Deputy Governor, Agboola Ajayi, who contested on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party.

    Mr Akeredolu will take the oath of office next week, despite his re-election being challenged by Mr Jegede.

    Mr Jegede is asking the governorship election tribunal to declare him winner and nullify the election of Mr Akeredolu on the grounds that the latter was not validly nominated.

  • Again! Bauchi Gov. tackles Akeredolu, says forest dwellers in Ondo don’t need his permission

    Again! Bauchi Gov. tackles Akeredolu, says forest dwellers in Ondo don’t need his permission

    Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, says Nigerians don’t need the permission of any governor to reside in any part of the country.

    Mohammed and Rotimi Akeredolu, his Ondo State counterpart, have been in the news over the farmers-herders crisis.

    Akeredolu had given herders who are “occupying Ondo forests illegally” an ultimatum to leave. He also banned underage grazing, night grazing, and movement of cattle within the cities and on highways.

    But Mohammed tackled faulted the action of Akeredolu, saying it would be inappropriate to label an entire tribe as criminals, based on the crimes of a few members of the ethnic group.

    Speaking when he featured on Channels Television on Friday, Mohammed said, “Land is in the hands of the state and federal governments in trust but Nigerians don’t need the permission of governors or the federal government to settle everywhere. You don’t need the permission of the governor of Bauchi or the governor of Ondo to be in the forests of Ondo if you choose to live in the forests because under Section 41 of the constitution, you are free to settle anywhere.”

    Akeredolu had earlier criticized Mohammed for defending the use of arms by herders after the governor said herders carry weapons because they need to protect themselves.

    Describing the comment as careless and despicable, the Ondo state governor said Mohammed has encouraged all other Nigerians to carry arms.

    “We read with dismay, the outburst in the purported statement by the Bauchi state governor. We are persuaded to believe he didn’t make that statement,” Akeredolu had said in a statement Donald Ojogo, the commissioner for information and orientation, issued on his behalf.

    “If indeed he made that statement and owns up to its contents, it then means that the Bauchi state governor has declared on behalf of the federal government, an executive order which now allows all Nigerians, herdsmen inclusive, to carry prohibited firearms like assault rifles for self-defence.

    “That is exactly what the governor has done and displayed by his conduct which brazenly depicts that whether other Nigerians like it or not, herdsmen must carry AK 47 for self-defence while other non-Fulani herdsmen must remain unarmed to be perpetual victims of arms wielding bandits.

    “By that statement, the governor has in one breath, agreed that indeed Fulani herdsmen carry AK 47 and at the same time encouraging all to do likewise.

    “The Bauchi governor has by his conduct and attitude, ushered us into the next level on the path to anarchy. He’s not fit for public office, persons of such impecunious disposition and character is not fit for public office.”

    Former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, had asked governors to be mindful of their comments so as not to plunge the country into crisis.

  • Oyo crisis: Sunday Igboho is a ‘child of circumstance’ – Akeredolu

    Oyo crisis: Sunday Igboho is a ‘child of circumstance’ – Akeredolu

    Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State believes that Sunday Adeyemi “Igboho” is a child of circumstance, noting that the situations that led to his interventions in security issues should be examined.

    “Sunday Igboho is a child of circumstance. We must look at the circumstance that led to each of these interventions,” the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum said on Monday in a monitored Channels Television interview.

    Akeredolu noted that “There are things that we do at times that you have to know what led to them. Those circumstances might not be justifiable, might not be legal, but again when you look at it, you’ll know we are a child of circumstance.”

    The governor who was elected for a second term in office in October 2020, however, admitted that he does not support illegality and people taking laws into their hands.

    “I for one, I’ve always said that I will not support anyone taking laws into his own hands. That’s why I had to go to Ibadan,” the governor, 64, explained.

    “That’s why I will go to every other place in the South-West to preach about illegality and that we are against illegal actions. We are not for it at all.”

    Igboho had risen to prominence after he issued a quit notice to criminal herders in Oyo State accused of crimes in the area.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Oyo State has in recent times been at the centre of clashes between groups, the latest being the violence at the Shasha market in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, the state capital.

    Meanwhile, the Ondo State governor had in the wake of the clash, called for calm, urging residents not to take the laws into their hands.

    “We do not support violence and in particular, brigandage, jungle justice and unnecessary self-help,” he said.

    “We note with delight, the efforts of our brother Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who has taken very bold steps to stave off the further escalation of the violence by imposing curfew in the affected areas.”

  • Suspected herdsmen strangle relative of Akeredolu’s aide to death on his farm

    Suspected herdsmen strangle relative of Akeredolu’s aide to death on his farm

    Armed men suspected to be herdsmen have killed a 48-year-old farmer, Dayo Ibiye, in Ondo State.

    Ibiye was said to be a cousin of Gani Ajowa, the Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

    The spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Tee-Leo Ikoro, confirmed the incident on Saturday.

    He said the incident occurred in Ajowa-Akoko, a community in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of the state.

    Ikoro, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), stated that the police have commenced an investigation into the crime.

    He, however, noted that they have yet to establish the real killers of the farmer.

    According to sources, the assailants engaged Ibiye in a serious fight on his farm during which they strangled him to death.

    Although it has yet to be ascertained if the assailants were herdsmen, chains of related crime in the state have been blamed on herders in recent times.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Governor Akeredolu recently issued a seven-day ultimatum to herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the state.

    In the directive issued on January 18, the governor also banned night-grazing, saying most farm destructions were carried out at night.

    He prohibited the movement of cattle within cities and highways in the state, as well as outlawed under-aged grazing of cattle.

    While the governor’s action was greeted with criticism, especially from the northern part of the country, he explained that it was aimed at ensuring the safety of lives and property of residents of the state.

  • Governor Akeredolu’s order & allied matters – Hope O’Rukevbe Eghagha

    About a week ago, in exercise of his rights as Chief Law and Security Officer of Ondo State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu ordered herdsmen to vacate all ‘government reserves in the state within seven days’. Stating that the order was a reaction to the upsurge of criminal activities linked to some Fulani herdsmen in the state, Akeredolu declared ‘it is my constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect the lives and property of all residents of the State’. The governor also banned night grazing and outlawed ‘under-aged grazing of cattle’. The declaration was made during an interactive meeting with the leadership of the Hausa/Fulani and Ebira communities in the state held in a conference hall in the governor’s office. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bolaji Salami and state Commandant of Amotekun Corps were also in attendance.

    As far as the eyes can see and the ears can hear, this is a lawful order. It brought joy to hapless citizens of the state who had suffered intimidation from the scoundrels. I am sure commuters through the highways of Ondo State were happy with the pronouncement. There were what appeared to me to be spontaneous public demonstrations urging Akeredolu not to back down. Akeredolu did not order all Fulani herdsmen to quit Ondo State. That would be illegal. The quit order was to the herdsmen who live in the forest and routinely burst into the highway to kidnap and kill. Have we taken a count of persons who have been maimed or killed in the killing spree?

    How could any sane person fault this order? What are the other governors waiting for before securing the lives and property of residents in the domains? For, as we know, the menace of these hoodlums masquerading as herdsmen is felt across the country. My kinsmen in Uwheru Delta State were slaughtered by herdsmen last year. These herdsmen are still in the bushes of Uwheru, forcing farmers to pay a toll before they can access their farms in their God-given ancestral lands!

    The usually sleepy-federal-government-on-security-issues woke up from slumber through the voice of Senior Special Assistant to the President Mallam Shehu Garba and advised the ‘state government to tackle all forms of criminality but not breach the rights of herders in the state’ and that ‘insecurity is not alien to any group, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith’. Did Garba deliberately and mischievously misunderstand the governor’s directive? Or is he simply keying into a preconceived ethnic agenda which the incumbent powerholders in Abuja have been accused of perpetuating? This in the 21st century?

    Of course, some different stakeholders have joined the fray. Northern Elders’ Forum, Oduduwa Elders, Ondo farmers, and Miyetti Allah have made statements for and against the order. Sadly, they have all taken sides along ethnic lines. In other words, the country is further being split along ethnic and religious lines. Governors in the view of herdsmen and their supporters do not have the right to order criminals to vacate the forest. Which leads me to the real point of my essay: do you order criminals to leave a property or you go in to flush them out? It is for this reason that I worry about the so-called order. Is it a flying kite to draw attention to the problem? Does Governor Akeredolu have the means and equipment to flush the recalcitrant criminals out of the forest if they disobey his order? Is Amotekun up to the task?

    While the hullabaloo caused by Akeredolu’s order still ruled the airwaves, another unlikely hero, Sunday Igboho, sprang up in Igangan in Oyo State. In his own case, he ordered ALL Fulani herdsmen to quit the community. He took umbrage at the death of Dr. Aborode a prominent citizen who was murdered supposedly by herdsmen while returning from his farm. Igboho has collided with Governor Makinde over the order which contravenes our accepted mode of engagement in the country. Yet, Igboho has become a hero of sorts!

    History teaches us that kingdoms, empires, and nations usually do not collapse suddenly. There are often remote and immediate causes of the fall of kingdoms. Indeed, in a 2019 letter to President Muhammadu Buhari Alafin Oyo Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III recalled one of the remote causes of the fall of ancient Oyo when he said among other things: ‘I recall with sadness that the old Oyo Empire disintegrated because the slave trade introduced insecurity that made all other activities which had supported and enhanced the prosperity of Oyo to decline’.

    The nations and ethnic groups which constitute Nigeria have managed a fragile relationship since independence, without one ethnic group blatantly lording it over others. We once went to war when the Igbo felt oppressed in the country and declared the Biafran Republic. All the other ethnic groups joined the war to quell the secession with the slogan ‘To keep Nigeria One is a task that must be done! I doubt if the current government can muster national support if one of the federating units were to secede now. The federal government must proceed with caution. The dramatic upsurge in the impunity of Fulani herdsmen is a recent thing. We all grew up with herdsmen grazing next door. They avoided farms and were friendly. Not the current crop of herdsmen. Is the impunity a fall out of Fulai being at the helm of affairs in the country? Will they hold power forever?

    The federal government should not play the ostrich. Should not carry on as if they do not get security reports about what is really going on. If the government does not address it now, it would be sowing a seed for future discord. Be sure that a Pharaoh who does not know Joseph will arise. It would from then be a different story for the murderous scoundrels who have raping women in their host communities, kidnapping people, killing men and women who ‘challenge’ them.

    The Sunday Igboho challenge and popularity in Oyo State is a fall out of perceived government’s partisanship in protecting Fulani interest at the expense of the national interest. For example, why ask federal troops, funded with taxpayers’ money to escort cattle herders into a community where they are not welcome? The soldiers then use wires to flog outspoken locals. This is how discontent spreads. Nigerians, both in the north and in the south are not happy with the kid-glove-handling of the Fulani herdsmen menace. Igboho has become a hero. Across the land, people are asking for more Igbohos to arise. You do not need to go too far. Just monitor popular reactions to Igboho’s illegal order. Folks do not bother themselves about the legality of the order. The herdsmen follow no known order, the people say, why should anybody follow any in containing their nuisance?

    Governor Akeredolu’s order therefore is the result of exasperation and the need to respond to a permanent threat to life and property. The impunity in the land is a timebomb for chaos and breakdown of law and order. That was how Ojukwu rose to folk heroism in the prelude to the May 30, 1967 Declaration. The federal government should learn from history. We do not want or need another Ojukwu. But some conflicts just spiral out of control when badly managed by the parties involved. The federal government, using the instruments of state, has already created room for the popularity of and need for Akeredolu’s order. The same attitude has given rise to Igboho and could create many more. Of course, Igboho will be promptly arrested and perhaps jailed. But let us be sure that it will only be a beginning of expression of open anger and disobedience. We do not want an anarchic situation. One Facebook commentator Bukky Olajide summed it up when she observed: ‘when the government fails, individuals take over!

    Eghagha can be reached on 08023220393 and heghagha@yahoo.com

  • Ultimatum: Akeredolu has no power to deny herdsmen right to live in Ondo – Northern elders

    Ultimatum: Akeredolu has no power to deny herdsmen right to live in Ondo – Northern elders

    The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has asked herders in Ondo state not to leave their locations and resist moves to be labelled as criminals.

    In a statement on Wednesday, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, a spokesman of the forum, asked Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, to rescind the ultimatum given to herders to vacate forest reserves in the state.

    He described the governor’s order as provocative and unhelpful.

    On Monday, Akeredolu gave herders a seven-day ultimatum to leave the forests, citing the rising insecurity in the state.

    The governor said “bad elements” have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom and carrying out other criminal activities.

    But Baba-Ahmed said Fulanis will not accept unfair treatment, challenging the governor to isolate criminals and treat them as such.

    “Northern Elders Forum is shocked at reports that Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, is asking a Fulani community to leave its lawful location, in addition to other restrictions on activities of Fulani people who have lived in the State for a long period,” Baba-Ahmed said.

    “Governor Akeredolu is a senior lawyer who should know that the constitution does not give him the power to deny any Nigerian the right to live where he chooses if he does not break the law in the process. His duty to protect and improve the security of citizens and all people in Ondo State cannot be challenged.

    “No Nigerian has the power to take punitive action against citizens on political grounds. The forum believes that the action of the governor is provocative and unhelpful.

    “If there are criminal elements among the Fulani who live in the state, the governor should take appropriate steps to identify them and deal with them. Similarly, the Fulani do not enjoy legal immunity in any part of Nigeria.

    “The Fulani are subject to all laws and regulations and must respect the communities with which they live and interact. What is dangerous and unacceptable is to profile and demonize the Fulani and treat him outside the laws of the land like all other Nigerians.

    “The Fulani community in Ondo state should stay put where they are and continue to be law-abiding.

    “We call on Governor Akeredolu to rescind his order on the Fulani, or clarify his position in the event that he is misunderstood. For the avoidance of doubt, no Fulani anywhere in Nigeria will accept unfair and illegal treatment just for being Fulani.”

  • Afenifere backs Akeredolu, blasts presidency for faulting ultimatum to herders

    Afenifere backs Akeredolu, blasts presidency for faulting ultimatum to herders

    The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Wednesday, lampooned the Presidency for faulting the seven days ultimatum given to Fulani herders to vacate all forest reserves in Ondo State.

    In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere, said though it was not surprised by the Presidency’s intervention in the matter, it will stand by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s ultimatum.

    The statement, titled: ‘ONDO FORESTS: Fulani Presidency Again, reads: “The intervention by what we mistakenly call the Federal Government of Nigeria on behalf of marauding Fulani in Ondo state against the lawful government in that state did not come to Afenifere as a surprise as it is in line with non – pretence by this regime that it represents only Fulani interests against those of Yoruba, Igbo, Junkun, Ijaw and other tribes in Nigeria.

    “That the Federal Government and its minion, Garba Shehu, could only hear Ondo state when Governor Akeredolu was very loud and clear about herders to vacate forest reserves in the state is symptomatic that this Government has a serous problem with heating the rest of us when the issue involves its anointed Fulani.

    “The Fulani criminals have caused untold hardships in Ondo State and other Yoruba towns and cities in recent time and only an irresponsible government that wants to behave like our Federal Government that cares will continue to fold its arms.

    “Are Ondo Forest Reserves under Ondo state Government or the Federal Government and Miyetti Allah? We agree with the Ondo state Government that the insensibility of Garba Shehu violates the corporate existence of Nigeria. “What has this government done to assure our people that it can protect our lives with the open murders of Mrs Funke Olakunrin,

    The Olufon of Ifon and the Deputy Registrar of FUTA among many others? The lives of our people and other non-Fulani communities are daily being taken by local and foreign Fulani bandits without any sign that these lives matter to the government with its desire to shield the Fulani from the laws.

    “Nobody would ever have believed that it would get to this irresponsible stage that the Federal Government will one come to this barbaric level Garba shehu has taken it and the peak of their direct salvos against Amotekun since it started. All true- born Yoruba should stand behind Governor Akeredolu in these trying times. He must do all within the law to flush Ondo forests of all criminals.

    Other governors should emulate their chair and free our land from the Fulani who have surrounded us with the shield of the Federal Government. “Let them declare open war on behalf of the Fulani and our ancestors will all wake up in their graves.”

  • Presidency, Akeredolu trade words over order seeking herders to vacate Ondo’s forests

    Presidency, Akeredolu trade words over order seeking herders to vacate Ondo’s forests

    The Presidency on Tuesday cautioned Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu on his plans to eject herdsmen from the state government forest reserves.

    Recall that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu gave a seven days ultimatum to herders to comply with an order seeking that vacate Ondo’s frests and also banned under-aged grazing, night grazing, movement of cattle within the cities and highways.

    However, the Secretary General of the Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Usman Baba-Ngelzerma, had reacted that the association had not been formally informed.

    But in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President called for restraint on the side of the state government and the Fulani communities.

    In the statement titled, ‘In tackling crime, Ondo State Government will not act outside the constitution,’ the Presidency also called on both sides to continue their dialogue.

    The statement reads partly, “Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, a seasoned lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and indeed, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, has fought crime in his state with passion and commitment, greater sensitivity and compassion for the four years he has run its affairs and, in our view, will be the least expected to unilaterally oust thousands of herders who have lived all their lives in the state on account of the infiltration of the forests by criminals.

    “If this were to be the case, rights groups will be right in expressing worries that the action could set off a chain of events which the makers of our constitution foresaw and tried to guard against.

    “We want to make it clear that kidnapping, banditry and rustling are crimes, no matter the motive or who is involved. But, to define crime from the nameplates, as a number of commentators have erroneously done- which group they belong to, the language they speak, their geographical location or their faith is atavistic and cruel.

    “We need to delink terrorism and crimes from ethnicity, geographical origins and religion—to isolate the criminals who use this interchange of arguments to hinder law enforcement efforts as the only way to deal effectively with them.

    “The President, who swore to defend the constitution has spoken against the Indigenous People of Biafra in asking citizens of Northern origin to leave; he did not spare the group based in Sokoto, ‘Muslim Solidarity Forum,’ which asked the Bishop of Sokoto to leave and is prepared to do all that the law permits to protect citizens all over the country in their choice of where they wished to reside and are treated as equal citizens.”

    In a swift reaction, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the Presidency statement had stated “unambiguously, the position of the Federal Government.

    “The Ondo State Government did not ask Fulani to leave the state. The governor said herdsmen who are unregistered should leave our forests. The statement from Garba Shehu is brazen display of emotional attachments and it’s very inimical to the corporate existence of Nigeria. We need clearly defined actions on the part of the Federal Government to decimate the erroneous impression that the inspiration of these criminal elements masquerading as herdsmen is that of power. Our unity is threatened, no doubt.

    “It (statement) states in a breath that the governor fights crime with passion while it is prevaricating on the atrocities. The question is, are the herdsmen who are perpetrating murder, kidnapping and robbery more important than government and even the Federal Government in this case? Ethnic nationality and activism on the part of anyone hiding under the Presidency or federal government is an ill wind,” the commissioner added.

    Earlier, Ojogo had declared that there was no going back on its order asking herdsmen to vacate all the forest reserves in the state.

    Ojogo had said, “The governor’s directive except they are telling the world that Miyetti Allah is above every law in the land.

    In the same vein, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matter, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, said, “I want to advise those operating within the forest legally to register with the state government. The truth is that if they (herdsmen) still want to remain in the forest; let them come and register, we want to know the people occupying our forest.”

  • Akeredolu bans night grazing, asks herders to vacate Ondo forests in seven days

    Akeredolu bans night grazing, asks herders to vacate Ondo forests in seven days

    The Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has given herders seven days ultimatum to vacate the forest reserves in the state.

    The governor also banned night grazing with immediate effect.

    The governor, in a statement released on Monday, said the decision was based on the state of insecurity in Ondo state.

    Akeredolu noted that bad elements have turned the forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransom, and carrying out other criminal activities.

    “All Forest Reserves in the State are to be vacated by herdsmen within the next 7 days with effect from today, Monday 18th January 2021,” Akeredolu said.

    “Night-grazing is banned with immediate effect because most farm destruction takes place at night. The movement of cattle within cities and highways is prohibited. Under-aged grazing of cattle is outlawed.

    “Our resolution to guarantee the safety of lives and property within the State shall remain utmost as security agencies have been directed to enforce the ban. In its usual magnanimity, our administration will give a grace period of seven days for those who wish to carry on with their cattle-rearing business to register with appropriate authorities.”

    These new set of laws may not be unconnected to the menace of Fulani herdsmen in the state, who arbitrarily go into people’s farms to chase and destroy their crops such as maize, cassava, etc.

    And rather than be remorseful, the herdsmen who are usually heavy-armed on seeing the owners of the affected farmlands, attempt to kill or injure them.

    Only recently, the Chairman of the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun in Oyo State, Gen. Kunle Togun, retd, raised the alarm that a large number of fully armed Fulani herders, who are non-Nigerians, have started trooping into states in the South West.

    This development has elicited angry reactions from the Yoruba Council of Elders, YCE; pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere; the Agbekoya Farmers’ Association, who have called on security agencies to address the alarming situation.

  • Ondo poll: Court dismisses suit challenging Akeredolu’s reelection

    Ondo poll: Court dismisses suit challenging Akeredolu’s reelection

    The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed another suit challenging the validity of the emergence of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 20 primary election.

    Delivering a ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo, dismissed the suit filed by Mrs Olajumoke Anifowose, an APC aspirants in the poll.

    Ekwo held that the application was statute barred.

    Akeredolu was declared the winner of the Oct. 11, 2020 governorship election in the state after polling 292, 830 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr Eyitayo Jegede of the PDP, who scored 195, 791 votes.

    NAN reports that on Dec. 16, 2020, a Federal High Court dismissed another suit challenging the validity of the July 20, 2020, primary election which produced Akeredolu as the APC candidate in the October 2020 election in the state.Delivering judgment in that matter, instituted by an APC governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Dr Nath Adojutelegan, Justice Okon Abang held that the case was statute-barred as it was not filed within 14 days of the arising of the cause of action.

    The judge in upholding the notices of preliminary objection filed by Akeredolu and the APC held that from the facts presented by the plaintiff the crux of his grouse was about the use of the indirect mode of the primary election, which he objected.