Ogun State People's Democratic Party, PDP, has reacted to the Saturday’s tribunal judgement which dismissed its petition against Governor Dapo Abiodun, saying it envisaged the tribunal will rule against it.

While describing the judgement which dismissed its petition against Abiodun as a temporary setback, the party said it was mindful of the people it was battling with.

The party, in a statement issued by the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Party, Hon Adekunle Akinlade and signed by its media aide, Azeez Adelani, alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, did everything possible to prevent the PDP from contesting the election.

"From the beginning, we predicted this outcome, considering the set of individuals we are engaging.

"In 2022, they threw everything they had at us, got our candidates and party (PDP) removed from INEC list with the intention of stopping us from participating in the 2023 general elections. They went to town saying that there was no opposition in Ogun State, but we turned to God, fought courageously and the courts reinstated us.

"Fast forward to March 2023, they arrested our members, blackmailed and threatened our leader, but we prevailed at the polls."

According to the statement, the party, against all odds and intents, pushed through the obstacles placed before it, called 94 witnesses including experts, presented over 200,000 certified documents in evidence, argued the case before the election petition tribunal.

While appealing to party faithful to remain calm while deploying all resources to right the 'injustice', the statement asked members to take solace in the fact that the tribunal is a court of first instance.

"As a people and party, we must take solace in three fact’s, first, that the Tribunal is the court of first instance, secondly, that we are blessed with a resolute leader and lastly, that time, which is the determinant of all things, is on our side."

Akinlade, who contested against the incumbent Governor in 2019, further stated that every bruise must be treated as a mark for improvement.

Quoting the Late sage, Obafemi Awolowo, Akinlade said, “it is not how many times a man falls or fails that matters, but his ability to rise each time, learn from his mistakes and forge ahead.”

Speaking on the move to appeal the judgement, he added that, “as we commence the process of filing our notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, we assure our teeming supporters and the good people of Ogun State that we will not relent in our resolve to get justice and we will explore and deploy every resources at our disposal to right this injustice in the collective interest of our dear State.”

On behalf of Adebutu and other leaders of the PDP, Akinlade said “a very big thank you to all of you for believing that we can and will rescue Ogun State from this strangulating grip. This is the more reason why we can not afford to fail.”

The tribunal, Saturday dismissed the petition filed by Adebutu and the PDP against the election of Governor Dapo Abiodun, saying it lacked merit.