Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who doubles as the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks the constitutional powers to submit names of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This was the position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while reacting to the October 10 Ondo State governorship election petition it is pursuing at the Supreme Court.
Speaking through its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said it is confident that Eyitayo Jegede, its governorship candidate in the Ondo election will get justice at the Supreme Court because the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no candidate in the election.
Having lost at the tribunal and Appeal court, Jegede who lost the election to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had approached the Supreme Court for redress.
According to Ologbondiyan, “It is a known fact that Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe state was not properly elected as the national chairman of APC. Therefore, he cannot nominate a candidate for INEC. They floated their constitution.
“The existence of Mala Buni as national chairman flouts the rule and constitution of their party. I believe that is the ground that our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede is pursuing to the Supreme Court, that ab initio, APC had no candidate because the process of nominating their candidate was faulty”.
“So, we are confident that based on this, our candidate, Eyitayo Jegede will get justice at the end of the day.”
