Re-election bid: Dapo Abiodun writes APC, says petition on 1986 fraud conviction claim ‘baseless’

Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, has written to the All Progressives Congress (APC), asking the party to disregard a petition seeking to disqualify him from seeking a second term in office.

A petition by one Ayodele Oludiran, an APC member, was said to have been submitted to the party, seeking Abiodun’s disqualification over an alleged fraud conviction involving latter, as well as “inconsistencies” in forms submitted for the 2019 governorship election.

Responding in a letter to APC by his counsel, Afe Babalola & Co., Abiodun described the allegations as “baseless” and urged the national leadership of the party to ignore the claims.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Kunle Somorin, spokesman to Abiodun, the law firm representing the Ogun governor, in the letter dated April 19, 2022, described the petition dated April 12, as full of “spurious and unfounded allegations”.

The letter, addressed to Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman, described the petition as “a deliberate move to deprive him of the opportunity to set the records straight and knowing full well that the petition was characterised by falsehood and malice”.

“According to Afe Babalola & Co, the allegation of discrepancies in Governor Abiodun’s INEC Form CF001 for 2015 and 2019 is statute-barred, arguing that the allegation can only form the basis of a cause of action in court 14 days from the day the governor filed and deposed to the forms,” the statement reads.

“It further stated that the alleged contradiction in the two INEC gorms can no longer be a ground to disqualify Governor Abiodun in the upcoming 2023 gubernatorial election. Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 are spent and cannot be used to determine the eligibility of the governor to contest in the next governorship election.

“The law firm recalled that court cases were filed in court and petitions filed at the Governorship Election Tribunal seeking to disqualify the governor based on allegations of falsehood and inconsistency in the two INEC forms, saying that both the Tribunal and courts were unanimous in their decisions not only that the allegations were statute-barred, but held that the said Forms CF001 of 2015 and 2019 did not contain any false statement.

“It further said the matter that the Supreme Court of Nigeria had also affirmed the decisions of the Tribunal and the Appeal Court, by dismissing the petition of false statement against the governor.

“On the allegation that the governor had been convicted for an offence in 1986, the chamber said the petitioner failed to attach any court judgment to the petition to this effect, hence, the allegation was baseless, asking the APC top echelon to discountenance as such.”

The law firm also denied the allegation that the governor has a former name, adding that “he never bore the name ‘Shawn Michael Davis’ or any other name however described”.

“Your Excellency, it is not in doubt that all the allegations in the petition relate to our client’s Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 are baseless and unfounded,” the letter reads.

“As shown above, the High Court of the FCT, Governorship Election Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court have all held that the said allegations are unfounded and statute-barred, so that there would be no basis for disqualifying our client.

“Our client has been adjudged by the Tribunal and courts to be eminently qualified to contest the 2019 Ogun State gubernatorial election, which he won landslide.

“Since, as of today, the courts have held that our client is qualified under CFRN, the party cannot impose additional grounds for disqualification on him. Also, the APC Constitution and Guidelines for the conduct of primary elections cannot override the CFRN. Therefore, the party has no vires to prevent our client from contesting any election under its banner.

“As rightly admitted by the petitioner, only a court of law can disqualify our client. The party cannot disqualify him or prevent him from contesting in the party’s primary election.

“Your Excellency, our client is ready and willing to, at the screening stage for the party’s primary election, present his credentials and relevant documents (including his primary school certificate, which has been alleged to be non-existent) to establish his eligibility to contest in the upcoming 2023 governorship election in Ogun State.

“Therefore, we urge the party not to be distracted or misled by unfounded allegations aimed at preventing the party from presenting our client, who is the best candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election, as the party’s flagbearer. We also urge the party not to give credence to any rumour which may scuttle the party’s chances in the said election.

“Finally, we pray that the petition should be disregarded as it is fraught with falsehood, speculation, inaccuracies.”