Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LAGOS308
2008-08-05 05:58:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Consulate Lagos
Cable title:  

NIGERIA: ONDO GOVERNOR AGAGU REMOVED BY ELECTION

Tags:  PGOV NI 
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R 050558Z AUG 08
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RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA 9772
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RUEOMFD/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000308 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 20 YEARS
TAGS: PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ONDO GOVERNOR AGAGU REMOVED BY ELECTION
TRIBUNAL

Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL DONNA BLAIR FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L LAGOS 000308

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W,

E.O. 12958: DECL: 20 YEARS
TAGS: PGOV NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ONDO GOVERNOR AGAGU REMOVED BY ELECTION
TRIBUNAL

Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL DONNA BLAIR FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: Ondo Governor Olesegun Agagu's (People's
Democratic Party, PDP) election was overturned July 25 by an
election tribunal, which declared the Labor Party (LP)
candidate Olusegun Mimiko election winner and governor.
Agagu plans to appeal the tribunal ruling; Mimiko alleges
Agagu plans to bribe the judges. This is an increasingly
familiar theme in the later tribunal decisions, further
corroding confidence in the judicial and electoral system.
End Summary.

Ondo Governor Agagu Ousted in Tribunal Decision
-------------- --


2. (SBU) Ondo Governor Olesegun Agagu's (People's Democratic
Party, PDP) April 14, 2007 election was overturned July 25 by
an election tribunal sitting in the Ondo capital city of
Akure. The tribunal declared the Labor Party (LP) candidate
Olusegun Mimiko the winner of the election. The tribunal
ordered that Governor Agagu vacate the Governor's office and
that Mimiko be sworn in as governor. Agagu's lawyers have
said they will appeal the tribunal's judgment. Dele Atunbi,
an Akure-based journalist, told PolSpec that thousands of
Mimiko's supporters, including students, market women, and
even civil servants employed by Agagu, took to the streets in
celebration of the decision. Atunbi said that, counter to
expectations, no violence occurred after the pronouncement.
Agagu is not well liked by most people; Mimiko is popular and
widely believed to have won the election. (Note: Testimony
by forensic expert Adrian Forte figured in Mimiko's case.
End note.)

LP Claims Assassination, Bribery
--------------


3. (SBU) On July 26, the Labor Party issued a statement
alleging that Governor Agagu set aside millions of naira to
bribe the appeals court judges in order to influence their
verdict in his favor. On July 28, the Labor Party
additionally claimed that Agagu's PDP supporters had made
plans to assassinate Mimiko. The LP press secretary,
Kolawole Olabisi, told journalists the police had been
notified of the plot. Governor Agagu denied the bribery
claims, and PDP spokesmen denied the assassination plot.


4. (C) Comment: Presumptive LP Governor Mimiko's allegations
reflect the disquiet many Nigerians feel about prospects for
fair treatment by Nigeria's courts of appeals following
several questionable judgments recently. The AC recently
cited election decisions in Enugu, Osun and Ondo as evidence
of disappointment with the judiciary. End comment.

This cable has been cleared by Embassy Abuja.
BLAIR