By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA—The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan  yesterday dismissed the appeal case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against the victory of the governor, Ibikunle Amosun of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in the April 2011 governorship election in Ogun State.

In a a statement signed by the governor’s media aide,Funmi Wakama and  in Abeokuta, the five-man panel, led by Justice Raphael Chike- Agbo,  while delivering its ruling, described the  appeal brought by the PDP as of no substance, saying, it  had no merit and therefore dismissed it.

The Ogun State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, had on October 31, 2011, ruled in favour of  Amosun.

In its judgement, the tribunal dismissed the petition brought before it by the PDP  on behalf of its governorship candidate,  Adetunji Olurin. Justice Bashir Sukola, who headed the three-man panel, said all the issues raised by both the petitioner and respondents were carefully considered, and that the petitioner failed to prove the issue of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

Reacting  to the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Governor Amosun thanked the judiciary for upholding the rule of law and called on all indigenes, irrespective of religious or party affiliations, to join hands with his administration in its mission to rebuild the state.

According to the statement, the court would however give reasons for its decision on January 5, 2011.

… Ogun Assembly passes N200bn appropriation bill

ABEOKUTA— Barely 22 days after Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, presented appropriation bill of N187.9 billion to  the state House of Assembly, the  House yesterday passed  the bill with an increase of 13.4 billion, making the total N200.54 billion.

Findings  however showed that, Amosun had sent an amendment bill, which  contained additional N13.4 billion, seven days after he presented the N187.9 billion budget proposal to the House.

During the passage of the bill, the House disclosed that, the 2012 appropriation law has N68.839 billion  as re-current expenditure while N99.66 billion is  approved for  capital expenditure.

The Assembly further said that, it has approved N19.396  for the service of loans,pensions, and gratuities of workers in the state.

The bill which was passed after the adoption of the report by finance and appropriation committee, the Majority Leader, Isreal Jolaoso moved the motion for the third reading  of the bill, before it was  later passed into law.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly,   Suraj Adekunbi, ordered the House Clerk to  send a clean copy of the  bill to the governor for his ascent.

The House  has  however adjourned its sitting till January 17,2012, while the detained  member of the Assembly for alleged financial misappropriation, Abiodun Akovoyon  has been released by the

operatives of Independent Corrupt Practice and Other related offences Commission (ICPC).

Akovoyon was arrested on Monday for allegedly misappropriating constituency fund running to millions and was whisked away to Lagos for interrogation.