The deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Adekunle Akinlade, has sent a message to those mocking him over the failure of his 2019 election petition, saying 2023 is different from 2019.

This is as Akinlade said the 2023 petitioners are anxiously waiting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to defend the allegations against it and its candidate at the Ogun governorship election petition tribunal.

The PDP chieftain told Ogun APC loyalists not to judge the 2023 petition based on what happened with the one he filed against the ruling party in 2019 when he contested under the Allied People’s Movement (APM).

DAILY POST reports that Akinlade and the APM lost the election petition filed against Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2019.

As the PDP governorship candidate closed his case yesterday after calling 94 witnesses and tendering 200,000 exhibits, loyalists of the APC had on various social media platforms said Adebutu’s petition would fail like that of Akinlade in 2019.

Also, the APC Publicity Secretary in Ogun, Tunde Oladunjoye, in a statement on Friday, said the actions of the Ogun PDP “is akin to cowards who die many times before their death.”

Oladunjoye labelled the PDP petition, its evidence and reports as “wishy-washy”, saying the evidence PDP members were gloating about and the witnesses were procured, influenced and paid by the same party and its candidate.

But, Akinlade described the ongoing petition as well planned, adding that it was an unfolding strategic election petition process by the Ogun State PDP.

In a statement made available to newsmen by his media aide, Azeez Adelani, on Saturday, Akinlade stated that the ruling APC had been posting stories of his 2019 APM governorship petition, with the title, ‘Akinlade, APM bombard tribunal with bags of documents’.

Akinlade mentioned that the APC members were insinuating that the 200,000 documented evidence presented and admitted by the tribunal this time would amount to nothing.

“Unfortunately for them, while the 2019 gubernatorial election petition was anchored on the personality of the 2nd Respondent and the APC because of political intrigues at the time, the PDP’s petition this time around is well thought through, planned and being executed diligently,” he said.

The former lawmaker stated that he and his supporters learnt a lot from the 2019 experience, hence “the reason why the leader of the team, Hon. Ladi Adebutu drafted clear-minded and dedicated individuals to oversee the PDP petition, including the legal team.”

He said: “My attention was drawn to some posts online yesterday where the APC were mocking us for the outcome of the 2019 governorship election and petition, but what they fail to realize in their narrow mindedness is that we learnt and shared our experience”.

“The outcome of this 2023 election petition will definitely become a yardstick of how election petition documents should be sourced, packaged and presented.”

According to Akinlade, PDP stakeholders in Ogun were committed and dedicated to the sourcing and gathering of relevant INEC election materials without thinking of any pecuniary gains, stating that was not the case among APC stakeholders.

He concluded by saying, “As INEC opens its defence on the 2nd of August 2023, to be followed by APC and 2nd Respondent who both have 10 days each, the good people of Ogun State and the nation are anxiously waiting to see their defence. It is true that to defend an allegation of electoral malpractice, you should at least be able to produce facts or alternative evidence to support your arguments.

“We have presented more than enough facts before the tribunal. Even the blind can see what happened on March 18, 2023; but technology has strengthened the electoral process and the tribunal. Moreover, the new Electoral Act is clear on what noncompliance entails. Ogun people are waiting.”