Realwan Okpanachi, Legal Adviser for the Social Democratic Party, expressed disappointment in an exclusive interview on Arise Television that the people of Kogi State were already celebrating Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s victory even before the tribunal’s judgment was delivered.
He emphasized that they attended the tribunal to formally receive the judgment, despite being aware of the social media rumors. They were conscious of the premature celebrations occurring in Kogi State days before the judgment, celebrating their perceived victory.
He pointed out that, as lawyers and not politicians, it was their duty to be present and fulfill their responsibilities towards their clients by formally receiving the judgment. Informal information was insufficient; they needed to be there to verify what they had been hearing. He noted it was unfortunate that days before the judgment, people were already jubilating across the state.
During an interview on Arise Television, he remarked, “We were not surprised by the outcome of the judgment of the Kogi State election because you are aware that two or three days ago it was everywhere on social media. The way and manner in which it was reported played out today.
We are not politicians, so as part of our duties as lawyers, we went there to discharge our responsibilities towards our clients by insisting that we would be there to receive the judgment formally. The informal information is not enough; we needed to be there to confirm what we had been hearing. It was an unfortunate situation that three days before the judgment, people were already jubilating across the state,” he stated.