The Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has dismissed claims that its 2027 governorship candidate, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, is constitutionally barred from contesting the election.
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The party described the allegations as baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by law, insisting that Aondoakaa remains fully qualified under the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to contest and occupy the office of Governor if elected.
In a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Bright Yima Antyo, the PDP alleged that the campaign against the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was being sponsored by political opponents unsettled by his growing acceptance across Benue State.
The party said Aondoakaa served as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice without any criminal conviction or indictment capable of disqualifying him from seeking elective office.
It added that since leaving office in 2010, the former minister has not been arraigned before any court or indicted by any legally constituted panel or tribunal.
The PDP also recalled that Aondoakaa contested its governorship primary in 2015 and later participated in the All Progressives Congress governorship primary in 2022 alongside Governor Hyacinth Alia, without any legal challenge to his eligibility.
According to the party, although Aondoakaa challenged the outcome of the 2022 APC governorship primary up to the Court of Appeal, he later withdrew plans to proceed to the Supreme Court following the intervention of party leaders.
The opposition party further argued that the constitutional period for filing any pre-election suit challenging Aondoakaa’s nomination had long expired, citing Section 285(14) of the Constitution, which provides a mandatory 14-day window for instituting such actions.
It also cited Sections 177 and 182 of the Constitution, saying the provisions clearly set out the qualifications and disqualifications for governorship candidates, and that no individual, group or political party can create additional grounds outside the Constitution.
The PDP urged members of the public to disregard what it called false narratives and propaganda targeted at Aondoakaa, stressing that the 2027 governorship election in Benue State would be decided by voters at the ballot box, not by “manufactured allegations or social media campaigns.”
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