Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has described the Court of Appeal ruling, which upheld the State Election Petitions Tribunal judgment of his victory at the April 11 governorship poll, as a vindication of the people’s mandate, as expressly demonstrated on Election Day.
In a statement Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Habib Aruna, the governor, while reacting to the Appeal Court ruling, said, “The decision of the Appeal Court is a further testimony to the affirmation of our victory at the tribunal and a vindication of the mandate of the people as expressed in the April, 11 2015 election”.
He, however, urged the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to sheath their swords, move beyond partisanship and join hands with his administration to move Lagos to the next level.
He added, “With the Appeal Court decision, I think it is time for us to put electioneering matters and its attendant issues behind us. Our victory at the polls had earlier been adjudged as fair and square; the tribunal confirmed this and now the Appeal Court has upheld that decision. Isn’t it time for our opponents to sheath their swords?
“I have never for once doubted the outcome of the polls. We had one of the most gruesome campaigns that took us across the length and breadth of the state. Our party’s strides over the last 16 years was also a scorecard that Lagosians voted for. I have consistently maintained my administration’s desire to work with every Lagosian, no matter the party”.
The Justice Mohamed Sijaro-led petitions tribunal had on July 1, 2015 struck out the petition of the PDP governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, against Ambode of the All Progressives Congress for incompetence and lack of correlation of the reliefs sought by the petitioner.
Agbaje and the PDP however, appealed the judgment of the tribunal at the Court of Appeal.
But the Appeal Court’s ruling on Wednesday reaffirmed the verdict of the tribunal, aligning with the July 1, 2015 decision of the Justice Sijaro-led tribunal.
The five-man appeal panel, aside dismissing Agbaje’s appeal on the grounds of incompetence, ordered him to compensate each of the respondents with the sum of N50,000 each.
