About two weeks after the governorship candidate of Labour Party (LP), in the March 18, 2023 general election, Ken Pela withdrew his petition against his Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori, the lead counsel to Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi Magaji Mato Ibrahim,SAN said the action is a good omen to the SDP.
Pela, in an application through his lawyers, withdrew his petition against Oborevwori and PDP during June 1st pre-hearing conference before it was adjourned to June 13th.
Speaking on the matter, Magaji said: “At the last sitting, we saw it. It was a petition that was separately filed by Labour Party and their candidate.
“And they themselves came that for whatever reason they say they are withdrawing.
“Of course, that is a plus because they are also part of the candidates that we are challenging.
“We are saying they ought not to have even participated in the election.
“Maybe they saw our petition and they felt that what we have said is the right thing and that is why they honorably withdrew.
“In fact, I call on other respondents to do the same.
“They saw the copy of our petition, they read the grounds of the petition, they read the pleadings in the petition, they also saw the pending evidences that we are going to bring before this honourable tribunal and they felt they don’t want to join issues with anybody.
“And that let them start withdrawing themselves and they did so honorably and we are grateful to them. We also call on others to do the same”, he said.