On Tuesday, 28th November 2023, the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory dismissed the case of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Magaji Abdullahi challenging my victory at the poll.
The election tribunal had earlier ordered a rerun in 5 polling units of the constituency, a decision that was challenged at the Appeal Court, leading to this final judgment in my favor at the upper court.
This judgment finally ends the political tussle and we can now fully concentrate on the business of representation.
I thank the Almighty Allah for this victory and I specially thank our people in Owode/Onire constituency, our elders and leaders, as well as the party for their unrivaled support during the process.
The support of my leaders in Owode/Onire constituency is beyond explanation and I cannot thank them enough for their sacrifices.
The unending support of the Executive Governor of Kwara State, His Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and his beautiful wife, Her Excellency, Kwara State First Lady, Amb Dr. Olufolake Abdulrazaq is too numerous to mention. Your excellencies, thank you for nurturing me, being a father, mother, leader, mentor, and support system.
My appreciation goes to the 10th Kwara State House of Assembly ably led by Rt. Hon Danladi Salihu, I am so grateful for the support of all. Thank you Honorables
I also extend my gratitude to my legal team for a job well done. And to other key people who played an important role in the success of our sweet victories, Allah will not forsake you all. Thank you for standing through in prayers and efforts.
It is important to note that, this is the 5th case I was involved in since emerging as a candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress in June 2022.
In the pre-election matter, I went from the high court, appeal court, and the supreme court, and in the post-election matter, I have gone from the high court and now appeal court, giving me a first-hand experience of the level of stress and pressure we subject our judiciary to as a country.
While it is true that the judiciary needs to improve as being advocated by many, I must say that our judiciary deserves sympathy for the magnitude of the burden before them and commendation for the sacrifices they are making in discharging their duties.
Additionally, contrary to public perception, Nigeria’s judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivers more judgments than most countries of the world. As a matter of fact, Nigeria’s Supreme Court delivers more judgments than the US, UK, and France joined together annually.
I therefore want to urge the people of Nigeria to be kind, patient, and considerate of the Nigerian judiciary because the burden of work placed on them is too huge and they are human like every one of us, working under difficult conditions.
Finally, now that we are done with politics, I assure our people in Owode/Onire constituency that I will never take your support for granted and I will continue to do my best to bring the dividends of democracy to our constituency.
Hon. Rukayat Motunrayo Shittu
Member representing Owode/Onire State Constituency
