Posted by By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan on
Jitters swept through the political camp of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala over the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the January 12 impeachment of Governor Rasidi Ladoja.
• Position is sign of low education - Ladoja's aide
Jitters swept through the political camp of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala over the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the January 12 impeachment of Governor Rasidi Ladoja. At a news conference hurriedly held at the press centre of the governor's office on Thursday, Secretary to the Akala administration, Chief Olayiwola Lakojo, stated that the Supreme Court ruling remained declarative, non enforceable and has never ordered the reinstatement of Ladoja as governor of the state.
"I want to appeal to the pressmen never, never to publish that Ladoja is reinstated as governor. He can never come here. Particularly, this judgment is not enforceable in law. There is no court order yet saying that Ladoja should come in as governor.
I know very sure that all the people of the state are law-abiding. Anybody who foments trouble or anybody who parades himself as the governor of the state, I can assure you we are up to the task. It is one thing for the court to give judgment, it is another to give an order. That order is not there. So I warn you (journalists) not to publish that Ladoja has been reinstated as governor. What we are doing now is that we are warming up for our congress on Saturday and by the grace of God, His Excellency, the governor of Oyo State will emerge and we will continue to prepare for his election in May 2007," Lakojo stated.
Victorious Ladoja, on his part, said the Supreme Court has finally laid to rest controversy surrounding his impeachment and the 11 months legal battle embarked upon by him.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Prince Ade Adekanmbi, the reinstated governor thanked the people of the state for their love, prayers, perseverance, support, steadfastness and for maintaining law and order in the past 10 months and 25 days the trial lasted.
While calling for true reconciliation and genuine efforts to move the state forward, Ladoja described his legal victory as no victor, no vanquished situation, saying he was ready to accommodate all interests in the state.
He particularly thanked President Olusegun Obasanjo, members of the Nigerian Bar Association, the civil society, Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and several other Nigerians, who stood and identified with his cause in the last one year.
Reacting to the vituperation of Akala's men, Secretary to the State Government under Ladoja, Mr Dele Adigun, described the interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment by Akala's aides as a sign of low education.
"If he (Lakojo) has said so, that is very unfortunate. You see, that is what we are saying that if you want to come into governance, you must be sufficiently educated. You must have gone through some kind of formal education that will put you in good stead to deliver the goods.
"In the Supreme Court if four out of seven justices ruled in your favour, you are victorious, if it is five to two, you also win. But in this particular case, six of the justices have ruled in our favour, so what are they relying on again?" Adigun wondered.