Abiodun, APC, INEC Certificate Coup: Adeniye Remains Our Candidate, Not Owodunni; Ogun PDP insists

It has become expedient to allay the fears of the good people of Ikenne State Constituency who displayed uncommon courage in the face of destructive and disruptive tendencies of APC – enabled thugs by massively voting for our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and our candidate, Dr Sulaimon Badmus Adeniye, SB during the last state constituency election which was held on Saturday, March 18, 2023.

In all honesty, the party owes it a duty to inform the general public and in particular, the good people and our teeming supporters in Ikenne Local Government, especially in the face of growing agitations surrounding the issuance of Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC meant for the PDP candidate, Dr Sulaimon Badmus Adeniye who became the party candidate and campaigned for our party following the voluntary withdrawal of the erstwhile PDP candidate, Mr Babajide Owodunni from the race via a withdrawal letter to the party and INEC dated March 6, 2023.

Members of the public are humbly requested to note that Mr Owodunni immediately after relinquishing our party’s candidacy defected to the ruling APC on March 9, 2023, in an open ceremony which was arranged and supervised by Prince Dapo Abiodun. We, therefore, wonder about the rationale behind INEC’s issuance of PDP’s certificate of return to Owodunni, an impostor who NEVER participated as a candidate of ANY known political party in the election.

For us, such an electoral coup can only be carried out by Dapo Abiodun and APC in satanic connivance with Ogun State INEC to issue a certificate of return to an APC member, Babajide Owodunni through the influence of the office of the governor. Perhaps Dapo Abiodun wants to tell the public that his wrecked ship, the APC won the Ikenne State Constituency seat. No, dare not because it is an irreducible fact that Mr Governor was beaten blue-black in his Ikenne LG. He lost to PDP spectacularly!

As far as we are concerned, the Certificate of Return received by Owodunni is merely for photo-ops, it is a comic relief for a crying toddler. Such intentional provocation can not stand the test of time and the laws because, on Friday, February 17, 2023, Babajide Owodunni approached the High Court of Justice, Sagamu where he swore to an affidavit under the Statutory Declaration Laws of Ogun State 2006, duly signed by the Commissioner for Oaths, WILLINGLY WITHDRAWING from the contest as the PDP candidate for the House of Assembly, Ikenne State Constituency and would no longer participate in the 2023 elections.

Apart from this, we want to remind Dapo Abiodun and innocent members of the public that on Monday, March 6, 2023, the same Babajide Owodunni notified the national office of our party and the National headquarters of INEC of the voluntary withdrawal of his candidacy via letters he personally signed and addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP and the Chairman, INEC respectively.

As a truly democratic political organisation, we are sincerely unperturbed by Babajide Owodunni’s voluntary withdrawal from membership of PDP and defection to APC where he campaigned and erected different banners and billboards with his picture and name boldly written to confirm his defection to APC. We only say that the mandate which was freely and democratically given to the PDP by the courageous people of the Ikenne State constituency is NOT to Babajide Owodunni, it is for our party, the PDP and we are determined and prepared to claim it by all means lawfully possible for our candidate, Dr Adeniye.

We make bold to enjoin the rudderless APC that instead of its reckless penchant for mandate stealing, it and its managers should practically be on their knees begging Almighty God for forgiveness because you can not possibly take what is not yours through the back door. And for Owodunni and his enablers, PDP dares say you can not eat your cake and still have it.

The mandate of the people of Ikenne LG is for the PDP and our House of Assembly Member-elect, Dr Adeniye is abundantly prepared to use the mandate for the common good of the people.

Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole
Publicity Secretary
Ogun State PDP.