CHAIRMAN of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State, Kayode Olawepo, has dismissed as untrue claims by some people that the party’s governorship candidate in the last election, Mohammed Dele Belgore, is considering withdrawing his case from the ongoing tribunal.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, on Wednesday, after the sitting of the tribunal, Olawepo said the party and its candidate were not withdrawing their case in the tribunal, and urged the party supporters to ignore all the claims being spread by their opponents in the state.

The ACN chairman, who also said the party and its candidate had absolute confidence in the judiciary on their case in the tribunal, added that the case remained intact.

“To be sure, we are resolute in our pursuit of justice. Our case remains intact because we are convinced that the judiciary will do justice to our case. And we urge these rumour mongers to seek a better vocation because no amount of such desperate misinformation will stand in our way as we seek justice for the people of Kwara State whose right to freely elect their leader was so brazenly trampled upon”, he said.

Meanwhile, the Kwara governorship election petition tribunal said that it would on June 27 issue a pre-trial session form, known as Form TF007 and TF008, preparing the ground for full trial of the ACN petition challenging the outcome of the April 26 polls.

ACN lawyers had, on Wednesday, wanted to apply for the issuance of the pre-trial form pursuant to Paragraph 18 of the Electoral Rules, but the tribunal said they should do so on June 27 after the first, second and third respondents (Peoples Democratic Party’s Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed, his deputy, Peter Kishra, and the Peoples Democratic Party) must have responded to ACN’s petition.

The ACN lawyer, Yemi Akangbe, further informed the court that they (ACN lawyers) just received response from the first to third respondents to the ACN petition, on Tuesday, (June 14), and in view of that they will like an adjournment to enable them file the pre-trial form in respect of the petition against the first to third respondents. ACN has five days to reply the response from the respondents and another seven days apply for the issuance of pre-trial form.

The court then adjourned till June 27 to issue the pre-trial form.