Chief Adeniyi Akintola, (SAN) one of the lead counsels of the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu in the election petition decided in his favour on Wednesday by the Supreme Court has said that a minority judgment has no value.

Addressing newsmen on Thursday at the party national secretariat in Abuja, Chief Akintola (SAN) faulted the position canvassed by Chief Keyamo(SAN) and certain chieftains of the party.

He told newsmen that no Court in the land would attach value to minority judgements as he noted that it was of no value.

He maintained that by the pronouncements of the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal which was affirmed by the apex court, Governor Buni could combine both party and elective positions.

He said:” Let me make this clear: this isn’t the first time we would be having minority judgements. A minority judgement has no value. You can’t cite it as an authority. It has no effect.

“In 2008, Abubakar Atiku versus Sheu Musa Yar’Adua, there was minority judgements given by Justice George Oguntade, Justice Walter Onoghen and one other justice while Justice Niki Tobi delivered the majority judgement. So, there has always been precedence.

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“There is no value attributed to minority judgement. So, what happened yesterday isn’t strange. So we are worried that some lawyers are attaching value to it.

‘Section183, according to the justices wasn’t violated by Buni. That was the reasoning of the tribunal.The Court of Appeal even affirmed the election petition stance that Section 183 wasn’t breached.

“The Supreme Court upheld the position of Court of Appeal and the Election Petition Tribunal that Buni position as governor doesn’t contravene provisions of Section 183.

“The Congress can go on as scheduled. There was nowhere the majority judgement says Buni breached section 183. The minority judgements are of no value, it has no consequences.”

Also speaking at the media briefing, the national secretary of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe maintained that the party faithful has nothing to worry about. He assured that the ward Congresses fixed for Saturday would not be halted.

He further alleged that certain aggrieved chieftains of the party are anxious to cause confusion and instigate crisis in the party by giving a conflicting interpretation to the judgement of the Supreme Court.

“Some people want to use the judgement to vent their anger. I want to assure you that the Congresses will be held across the country. We shall be fair to all, and be firm. We remain committed and loyal to the Buhari administration. We won’t be used to bring down the government of Buhari. We would hold the Congresses as scheduled.”

Deputy Senate President and Senator representing Delta Central, Ovie Omo Agege aligned with the position of Chief Akintola (SAN) and Senator Akpanudoedehe.

In a statement that he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja, the Deputy Senate President said the party has no reason to entertain any fear over the eligibility of Governor Buni to hold a party and elective positions, concurrently.

His statement read in part: “Without much ado, it is important to state that the majority decision of the Supreme Court in Jegede’s case, emphatically dismissed the appeal and did not consider the issue of the provisions of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, neither did the majority decision make any comments on the competence of Governor Mai Mala Bumi as the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee. The appeal was dismissed on the ground of competence or lack thereof for the non-joinder of a necessary party to the suit at the lower court.

“It is therefore disingenuous, unsound and mischievous, to attempt to misinform the reading public of what was not the ratio decidendi of the judgment of the court. Even if the apex court had considered the provisions of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, the majority panel would still have dismissed the appeal.

“Having established the above point, it is necessary to proceed to clear the gross misconception of the provisions of section 183 of the 1999 Constitution.

“The sole question that begs for consideration is whether the appointment of Governor Mai Mala Bumi as the APC Caretaker Committee Chairman offends the provisions of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)?

“In answering the above question, it is pertinent to reproduce the provisions of Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) as follows:

“The governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.”

“In view of the foregoing constitutional provisions, the question becomes: Is the appointment of a Governor to Chair a Caretaker Committee of his political party, same not being an ‘Executive Office’ in respect of which he is to be paid remuneration, incompetent? Can it be said that a State Governor who is the Chairman of the Governors Forum of Nigeria is occupying an ‘Executive office’? Can it also be argued that the President cannot be appointed as the Chairman of the Africa Union?

“From the explicit provision of Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), it is absolutely impossible and untenable to argue that the provisions of Section 183 bars a Governor from being a Chairman or member of a Caretaker Committee set up by his or her political party. More so, the position of the Chairman of a Caretaker Committee cannot by any sense of imagination, logic or simple common sense be classified as being a salaried Executive office.

“It is important at this point to restate the fact, that the Caretaker Committee was duly constituted by the NEC of the party and given a specific mandate to put necessary measures in place to conduct a seamless elective National Convention.

“There is no law under our legal jurisprudence that bars or prohibits a Governor who is a member of a political party and won elections under the political party from carrying out specific assignments on behalf of his party. How this will amount to holding an Executive office is beyond every stretch of human comprehension.

“In the light of the foregoing exposition, it is humbly and firmly stated that Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) only bars a Governor from holding Executive positions like being a Minister, or any other executive positions for which he shall be paid for. It does not by any scintilla of imagination, render the appointment of Governor Bumi as APC Caretaker Committee Chairman incompetent and will not in any way, affect the legality or competence of the APC scheduled Congresses.”