Tinubu Aide denies court ruling disqualifying APC candidate in Edo. Reports claiming that a court has disqualified All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Monday Okpebholo from the Edo State gubernatorial election have been dismissed as false by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga, in a post on his official X handle on Friday, described the story as “fake” and accused political opponents of spreading misinformation to disrupt the election process.
“In the final hours to the Edo State Gubernatorial Election scheduled to be held tomorrow, certain political parties have desperately resorted to forgery, disinformation, and blackmail by circulating a fake magistrate court ruling purportedly disqualifying Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC Gubernatorial Candidate in the election,” Onanuga stated.
ABUJA, FCT
PRESS STATEMENT
FAKE NEWS ALERT – SOME PARTIES CIRCULATING FAKE MAGISTRATE COURT RULING AGAINST APC EDO GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE, SENATOR MONDAY OKPEBHOLO – PLEASE DISREGARD
In the final hours to the Edo State Gubernatorial Election scheduled to be held tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/oeSdLFy0CZ
— Bayo Onanuga (@aonanuga1956) September 20, 2024
He added that the Magistrate Court alleged to have issued the ruling has since released a disclaimer, clarifying that no such judgment was made.
The incident comes as tensions rise ahead of the closely contested election, in which 17 political parties, including the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are vying for the governorship position. The misinformation has sparked concerns over the potential for electoral disruption and has led to calls for calm and vigilance among voters and political stakeholders.
As voting begins, the APC has urged supporters to disregard the false reports and focus on ensuring a peaceful and orderly election process.
