The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ilorin-West/Asa Federal Constituency in the February 25 general elections in Kwara state, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Ajia, said he has withdrawn his legal process against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the spirit of Ramadan.
Recall that INEC had declared Tolani Shagaya of APC as the winner of the election, but Ajia rejected the result on the allegation that the election was marred with irregularities.
But in a statement issued on Saturday, a copy which was obtained in Abuja by Blueprint, he said he had discontinued the legal process for the sake of God, and in the spirit of Ramadan.
Ajia, who also noted that he did not expect any pecuniary gains from his opponent disclosed that a legal tussle may prevent him from giving the people of the cconstituency good representation at the Green Chamber, hence, his action.
He said: “Despite the delay in granting our order, INEC refused to obey the order, up till this moment. That has limited the capacity of our legal team to present a robust case toward reclaiming our mandate. From the foregoing, we can see clear signs of collusion between INEC, APC, and perhaps other authorities we may not know.
“But to keep the hope of our supporters alive, we filed our case despite many difficulties and challenges our legal team encountered in the process. We have had representations and expressions of deep concern by a lot of people about the apparent connivance between the APC and INEC and how that will impact the legal process.
“My immediate family has also expressed worries about the diminishing possibility of an impartial legal process and urged me to let it go. More importantly, as a strong believer and a true Muslim, I believe that it is the Almighty Allah that gives Power and to whom he wishes at the appointed time.
“As a progressive politician, my utmost desire is for our people to be served and represented effectively. I therefore wouldn’t want to create excuses for the purportedly declared winner by INEC that he was distracted by the legal contest when he fails.
“Also, considering that this is the Holy month of Ramadan, I have deeply reflected on one of the lessons of Ramadan which is the spirit of forgiveness, and wish to discontinue the legal process we have instituted at the tribunal, against our opponent, APC, and INEC.
“I want to state, very categorically, that we are doing this not because we are expecting any consideration or gain from our opponent or his party but for the sake of God Almighty, the progress of our Constituency and our State. However, we will not be deterred by this temporary setback in pursuing our set goals of making life more meaningful for our people”.
