The campaign team for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue State, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, has debunked claims that he was barred by the Supreme Court from contesting public office, urging the people to remain focused and continue mobilising for the 2027 polls.

In a statement, the media consultant to the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Dr Terver Akase, declared that Benue people will speak next at the ballot box, emphasising that the falsehood would collapse in the fullness of time.

Explaining that the position of the apex court was clear enough, Akase stressed that the persistent attempt by some political opponents to deceive the public into believing that the PDP governorship candidate has been barred from holding public office by the apex court is not only false but also a deliberate distortion of settled law.

Therefore, “no amount of propaganda can alter the contents of a judgment or amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Supreme Court itself has already put this issue beyond controversy,” the statement read.

Citing Justice Mary Peter-Odili’s 2021 judgment, the statement declared that “Indeed, the issue of qualification for holding the office of the second respondent or any other public office does not arise.”

It stated that the concurring judgment of any justice of the Supreme Court has the same force of law as the lead judgment in the matter, adding that the “second respondent” referred to in that judgment was Aondoakaa, who was the AGF and Minister of Justice during that time.

The statement further noted that those citing the 2010 decision while deliberately suppressing the later Supreme Court clarification in the 2021 judgment are engaging in calculated deceit.

Urging opponents to familiarise themselves with the relevant constitutional provisions on the qualification and disqualification of contestants, Akase said Aondoakaa remains the PDP’s duly nominated and validly recognised governorship candidate for the 2027 election.