Ighodalo clutching at wool

By John Mayaki 

Yesterday, the candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, suddenly discovered Section 137 of the Electoral Act and immediately got his gullible supporters to circulate same on social media saying, he really doesn’t need to call any witness to prove his case. 

Yes, this section is unambiguous- if your evidence is clear and manifestly proves the case but in Ighodalo’s case, this is not to be. His ‘confused’ witnesses already demolished whatever they are relying on with the BVAS. 

But, this is the new twist - Ighodalo now wants to cling to this provision like a man drowning in deep waters but attempting to save himself by grasping at wool or a thread - unfortunately for him, the wool is too soft to hold, and the threat also too thin to save him. 

This is the dilemma for Ighodalo and the PDP: since they so much believed that documentary evidence alone could prove their watery case, why did they initially promised 100 witnesses? Was he thinking to intimidate the tribunal judges with big numbers? Or was it to waste the time of the court on a case that never really existed? 

At first, they were so confident. “We will call over 100 witnesses”, Ighodalo boasted. “In fact, a tsunami is coming”, he added. But then, when reality sets in, and Ighodalo was only able to ‘force’ 19 ‘lukewarm’ witnesses to show up, and delivering testimonies so weak that they even did more harm than good. It was at this point that it became clear that Ighodalo had no case abinitio. 

And then, a change of strategy. Rather than accept failure, Ighodalo and his counsel quickly crafted another strategy to deceive his gullible followers. Hear him, “I really don’t need witnesses anyway”, he encouraged himself. “I have just discovered section 137 and so, to hell with 100 witnesses”, his boys rushed to town yesterday as if they ran amok. 

But here is the question for Ighodalo and his self-deluded supporters: if section 137 was all that you needed, why cry to the tribunal multiple and uncountable times about your missing witnesses? Why also forge a video claiming your witnesses were being intimidated and threatened when in reality, you do not really need them? Again, why plead with the court to help you ‘find’ your witnesses? 

Even the Supreme Court, in the Oyetola v. Adeleke case, ruled that documentary evidence must be indisputable and unambiguous. If the PDP’s documents were truly sufficient, why did they bother calling even 19 ‘lukewarm’ witnesses?

According to the sinking PDP with tattered umbrella, “witnesses were missing”, and suddenly, “witnesses are no longer needed”. Ighodalo cannot have it both ways - he must admit this himself. You cannot continue to adjust your script whenever things are not going your way. 

At this point, it is save to say that Ighodalo is clutching at wool and if you like, a thread - dangerously clutching at the air and hoping section 137 will save him and his bad case. The truth is that, reality is a cruel thing to experience. Ighodalo’s case has crumbled, as the contradictions are too obvious to ignore. There is no amount of twisting the electoral act can save Ighodalo.