By Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi
This morning, some disgruntled elements who paraded themselves as media handlers of Governor Hyacinth Alia took to their Social Media pages where they falsely reported that the Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN has surrendered his PDP ticket to Terwase Orbunde, a bonafide member of the All Progressive Congress on the ground that he has some legal issues that could prevent him from contesting the 2027 general elections.
Has Orbunde joined PDP that he would be handed over the party’s ticket? Orbunde as at this minute hasn’t resigned from the All Progressive Congress. He didn’t participate in the Screening exercise and primaries of the PDP so this makes it impossible for him to be given the party’s ticket. He didn’t even buy the party’s nomination forms. He still carries the APC card as a member. His name is still registered online as the party’s member. He is still battling the party’s ticket with Governor Hyacinth Alia so how come a PDP ticket would he handed over to an APC card carrying member? This alone has put a deep hole in their tissue of lies..
According to those media handlers led by Tersoo Kula and Isaac Uzaan, the PDP candidate whose name has been accepted and uploaded on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission collected N10bn from Orbunde to surrender his mandate. How possible could this be? Is Chief Aondoakaa a poor man who would sell his mandate for a mere N10bn?
Here are my questions: What legal issues exactly does Aondoakaa have that tend to prevent him from contesting? Why didn’t the same legal issue prevent him from participating in the PDP primaries in May, 2026? Why didn’t the same legal issues prevent him in 2022 when he obtained the governorship Nomination Forms of the All Progressive Congress, scaled through the party screening exercise and lawfully participated in the manipulated primaries that produced Governor Hyacinth Alia as the party’s candidate?
In 2022, Chief Aondoakaa pursued his case in court vigorously with a hope of getting the ticket back from Governor Hyacinth Alia but had to discontinue the case when pressures were too much on him to allow the party go into the election against PDP’s Titus Uba undivided. If there was a legal issue on his neck, why wasn’t he stopped?
Now, let’s talk of the legal issue which the All Progressive Congress media influencers are propagating now. It’s the purported 2010 ruling which reportedly barred Chief Aondoakaa from holding public offices.
If this is the legal issue they are talking about, then they don’t have anything to say because Justice Mary Odili had on December 10, 2021 cleared airs on the issue and that ultimately dismissed media propaganda about the reported ban on Aondoakaa.
While pronouncing her ruling on December 10, 2021, Justice Odili was very clear especially when she got to Pages 21-23 precisely where she stated unequivocally that the issue of Aondoakaa holding public office, relating to a 2010 judgment does not arise.
How come these people are now propagating lies that Aondoakaa sold his mandate because of a legal issue that doesn’t exist at all? Why did this agitation start immediately Chief Aondoakaa emerged as the PDP governorship candidate? Who is actually afraid of Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN? Why did he suddenly turn to their nightmare?
Does it mean that their nervousness about Aondoakaa’s popularity made them to forget to read Justice Odili’s ruling on the matter where she stated unequivocally that the issue of Aondoakaa holding public office, relating to a 2010 judgment does not arise.
As a matter of fact, those that are convicted for criminal offences in line with the country’s constitution are even qualified to contest elections after ten years. So if Aondoakaa was convicted in that same year 2010, it means he must have regained his eligibility to start holding public offices since 2020 and this is 2026, six years after. Note that he wasn’t even convicted for any criminal offences in 2010 at all.
Let’s put the record straight that Aondoakaa was not barred from contesting elections, and those that are behind the false report are just being political, malicious and sentimental because the law of this country is clear and unambiguous.
Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi, De Oracular Oracle writes from the shrine .