The Ogun State Government has debunked claims that the Court of Appeal dismissed its case against Datkems, a company linked to Senator Gbenga Daniel, who represents Ogun East in the National Assembly.
The government clarified that it only withdrew one of its four appeals due to a technical error in the title, emphasizing that three other appeals remain active before the appellate court.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, described reports suggesting the state had lost the case as deliberate misinformation.
“Ogun State Government still has three pending appeals against Datkems before the Ibadan Division of the Court of Appeal,” the statement read. “With respect to a fourth appeal, the government observed an error in the title of the Notice of Appeal and opted not to proceed with it but to file another”.
“Because the government had expressly informed the court of its decision to abandon the appeal, the court took a procedural decision to end the appeal and to delete the appeal number. This is without prejudice to the right of the Ogun State Government to reinitiate the appeal.”
Akinmade accused Datkems of distorting the facts to mislead the public, stressing that the company had yet to file any substantial response to the allegations against it.
“The fact remains that Ogun State Government still has three strong appeals against Datkems’ business. Those appeals are pending, ongoing, and have been adjourned to 19 May 2025 for hearing. Datkems is yet to submit any arguments in those appeals,” the statement added.
The government further alleged that Datkems had a history of misrepresentation, recalling that when the company initially filed its case against the state on September 7, 2023, it falsely identified itself as “Datkems Enterprises Limited.” However, an investigation revealed that no such registered company existed, thereby rendering its case legally defective.
“Datkems had no answer to that point at the trial court and has no answer till today,” the statement noted. “That is why, rather than face the appeals, it is busy presenting minor administrative decisions as huge judicial victories. Time will tell. And Ogun State Government will prevail.”
