Is Asue Ighodalo continuing his skits in court?
By John Mayaki
Newbie politician and unsuccessful candidate of the PDP in the 2024 Governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, entertained many with his social media skits during the dramatic race. Desperate to appear trendy and versatile, he swiftly latched onto viral trends in an attempt to appeal to the state's youthful populace.
Unfortunately for him, voters saw through the charade and ultimately placed their faith in his opponent, Monday Okpebholo. Unlike the skit-making Asue, the shrewd Okpebholo placed greater emphasis on meaningful actions that tells of his preparedness and superior understanding of the issues that animated voters across the state. He shunned theatrics and empty gestures for hard-nosed campaign efforts, which carried him over the finish line in convincing fashion.
Months after the election, with Okpebholo proving the voters right with a spirited start to life as governor, Asue Ighodalo is back in front of the cameras. He is challenging Okpebholo's victory in court with an assortment of allegations that the vote count was inflated and his defeat, which came as no surprise to political watchers in the state, was due to a high-level conspiracy involving INEC.
Interestingly, though, Ighodalo's legal campaign appears no different from his political campaign, which was built on hype and an excessive focus on form rather than substance. He has stormed the Election Petition Tribunal with unreliable witnesses and a large crew of content creators whose ostensible job description is to distort proceedings and celebrate inanities in a bid to create a false impression.
Two of those witnesses stunned the court when they admitted, according to available media reports, that they, in fact, played no significant or meaningful role during the exercise. They were armchair agents, confined to a situation room from where they documented numbers and claims of doubtful value. They may have as well produced a fictional prose from the same situation room, limited only by their imagination.
Other witnesses have reportedly absconded, perhaps not wanting to suffer similar embarrassment. The whole scenario has descended into comedy, strengthening the insinuation that the legal challenge is yet another skit by Ighodalo intended to titillate and excite. Perhaps he is aware that he lost fair and square and has merely gone to court to ‘fulfil all righteousness’ as the popular saying goes.
The trailer-load of papers he brought to court were celebrated by his social media crew as proof of their sure victory. However, many such papers from the past are gathering dust on shelves in courts across the nation. The value of any allegation lies not in loquacious expression requiring volumes of pages but rather in the strength of the argument. In fact, most courts prioritize clarity, relevance, and precision over sheer volume.
Ighodalo's social media crew may continue to convince themselves of a dream long gone. But the truth is glaring to any seasoned observer of political and legal proceedings in the country. AI is not coming anywhere, except maybe return back to Lagos. We will enjoy the skit though.