Road to 2023: Appeal Court affirmed Showunmi is authentic Ogun PDP guber candidate, lawyer insists

By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos

Counsel to Mr Segun Showunmi, Mr Monday Mawah, Esq, has insisted that the recent Appeal Court ruling affirmed that his client is the authentic Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement, Mr Mawah alleged that there were attempts by some persons to rewrite the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal that set aside the judgement of the lower court.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to desperate attempts by some persons to rewrite the clear pronouncement of the Court of Appeal that allowed the appeal of Segun Showunmi in his case against the Peoples Democratic Party and others, and set aside the judgement of the lower court.

“The issue brought by Showunmi before the Court of Appeal was whether or not the Ogun State High Court, sitting in Abeokuta, was right to have declined jurisdiction to entertain the matter brought before it.

“The Court of Appeal in a considered judgement held that the lower court was wrong to have declined jurisdiction, ruling that the matter brought before it was not a pre-election matter.

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“The Court went further to hold that the lower court was also wrong to have declined jurisdiction on the grounds of non-joinder of the Ogun State PDP Exco.

“On the whole, the Court of Appeal allowed the Appeal and set aside the ruling of the lower court. For the avoidance of doubt, we want to put it on record that our client, Segun Showunmi, won his case at the Court of Appeal.

Mischief makers should desist from misrepresenting the judgement.”

According to Mr Showunmi’s lawyers, the implication of the recent Appeal Court ruling in the suit filed by Showunmi against the PDP, Ladi Adebutu and co, is that he (Showunmi), remains the candidate of the party in Ogun State unless otherwise ruled.

Showunmi had complained to the lower court that the Ogun State exco of the party acted with bias when they allegedly purchased nomination and interest forms for Adebutu, the 3rd respondent, without doing the same for the other candidates, who purchased the forms legally, including himself.