The senator representing Ogun East Buruji Kashamu has dismissed media reports that he had been ousted as the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate.
Mr Kashamu affirmed on Thursday that he remains the party’s candidate despite a ruling of the Court of Appeal in Ibadan on Tuesday which set aside an order by the Federal High Court in Abeokuta upholding him as the party’s candidate.
The lawmaker added that he had appealed the judgment because of his belief that the appellate court erred.
After Tuesday’s judgment, Kashamu’s counsel Ifeoma Esom said: “His (Kashamu’s) candidature is predicated on the judgment of Justice I. N. Buba of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court. That judgment is still subsisting and there is no appeal whatsoever against that judgment.”
Kashamu added during an interaction with journalists on Thursday: “The Court of Appeal said in its judgment that the matter before it was not a pre-election matter.
“Hence, it could not have pronounced on the nomination of candidates, let alone sacking me or anyone for that matter.
“That was not the prayers of the PDP and its officers who are the appellants in the matter and so such a prayer could not have been granted.”
Kashamu took a swipe at the PDP national leadership for taking sides in the internal crisis in Ogun State.
He said that what the party should have done was to mediate between the feuding parties with a view to finding a lasting solution to the crisis.
The senator added that if the party was interested in winning in the state, it should be seen trying to bring the feuding parties together rather than taking sides with one against the other.
