Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The 2027 Governorship candidate of the Benue State People’s Democratic Party, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN has condemned media reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission may drop him from the governorship election taking place in the state next year.
The leading candidate who condemned the reports in a press statement signed by his Media Assistant, James Ian described the report as a false, misleading and desperate propaganda gambit by the people who feel threatened with his rising popularity across the twenty three local government areas of Benue State.
The statement reads in parts: “The attention of the 2027 Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, has been drawn to a sensational and deliberately misleading report titled: “INEC may drop Aondoakaa from Benue guber race as former AGF begs court for more time to file defence.”
“Ordinarily, such a publication deserves no response because it is founded on speculation, falsehood and wishful thinking. However, in the interest of setting the records straight and preventing the public from being misled, it has become necessary to expose the inaccuracies and mischief contained in the report”
According to the statement, the claim that Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, “begged” the court for more time to file a defence was a reckless distortion of court proceedings, noting that the matter was not ripe for substantive hearing as all parties had not been duly served.
“Consequently, the suggestion that the PDP candidate sought indulgence because he was unable to defend himself is nothing more than a fabrication designed to create a false impression of panic where none exists” it added.
The press statement also said that the report’s sensational conclusion that INEC may withdraw or drop the candidature of Chief Aondoakaa is entirely speculative and unsupported by any judicial pronouncement, adding that no court has made such an order, and no competent authority has taken any action remotely suggesting such a possibility. “The headline was crafted solely to mislead the public and manufacture apprehension” it noted.
“It is equally important to state that the individuals behind the suit are neither members of the Peoples Democratic Party nor governorship candidates in Benue State. They lack any legitimate political stake in the nomination process of the PDP and are merely acting as willing tools in a broader political agenda orchestrated by those unsettled by the overwhelming acceptance and growing popularity of Chief Aondoakaa across Benue State.
“The attempt to portray the suit as a serious threat to the PDP candidate is therefore laughable. Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa has never been convicted by any court of law for fraud, dishonesty or any offence that would disqualify him from seeking public office. Indeed, throughout his distinguished career as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, he served at the highest levels of government and remains one of Nigeria’s most accomplished legal practitioners and public servants.
“The sponsors of this campaign of falsehood are evidently terrified by the momentum of the Aondoakaa/Ogbenjuwa ticket and have resorted to manufacturing legal and media distractions in a desperate bid to achieve through propaganda what they know they cannot achieve at the ballot box.
“We advise those behind these sponsored publications to allow the court to perform its constitutional duty without external manipulation, media trial or political blackmail. Courtrooms are governed by law and evidence, not by sensational headlines, sponsored narratives or the fantasies of political jobbers.
“The public should also be reminded that the mere filing of a lawsuit against a candidate does not automatically invalidate that candidate’s nomination or disqualify him from an election. In every democracy governed by the rule of law, allegations must be tested and determined by competent courts. It is instructive that the incumbent Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, faced several legal challenges before and after the 2023 elections, including matters relating to his disqualification for nomination as a candidate of APC for 2023 Election. Those cases proceeded through the judicial process, and the courts delivered their verdicts. It would therefore be both irresponsible and misleading for anyone to suggest that the institution of a suit against Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, translates into a loss of his candidacy or the invalidation of his nomination.
“Indeed, the growing wave of frivolous lawsuits against Chief Aondoakaa only confirms what many discerning observers already know: those behind these actions are uncertain of their electoral prospects in 2027 and are desperately searching for judicial shortcuts to achieve what they fear they cannot accomplish through the democratic process. Rather than dissipating their energies on sponsored litigation and media propaganda, they should prepare to present their records, programmes and candidates to the people of Benue State. The governorship election will be decided by the electorate, not by political mercenaries masquerading as litigants. We therefore advise those orchestrating these distractions to get ready to face Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, at the polls in February 2027” the statement further reads.
According to James Ian, Chief Aondoakaa remains focused on offering the people of Benue State a credible alternative built on security, economic revival, responsible governance and the restoration of public confidence in leadership, adding that no amount of propaganda, distortion or sponsored litigation will distract him from that mission.