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Osun guber: Don’t tell us not to go to S’Court, Basiru chides PDP

David Adenekan
David Adenekan
Osun guber: Don’t tell us not to go to S’Court, Basiru chides PDP
Ajibola Basiru

Senator Ajibola Basiru (APC, Osun Central) has berated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Osun over its call on former governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, not to challenge at the Supreme Court, the verdict of Appeal Court declaring Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the Osun State governorship election.

Adeleke is of the PDP.

The senator lambasted the PDP while reacting to a statement credited to him on a “fake” Facebook account bearing his name, indicating that he was in support of the Appeal Court judgement in favour of Adeleke.

He said it was not in PDP’s place to try to stop Oyetola from going to the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict of the Appeal Court.

While expressing his support for the decision of his party, All Progressives Congress, APC, to proceed to the Supreme Court, he said there were grounds upon which the Appeal Court verdict could be faulted.

His statement reads in full:

“My attention was called to a Facebook account under the name Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru with my pictures wherein a post stated thus: “Buga judgment has been finally laid to rest!!! Alhamdulilah”

“The said Facebook account is obviously part of the mischievous handiwork of the rudderless Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Government of Jackson Adeleke in Osun State seeking to validate the judgment of the Court of Appeal which was the result of their appeal against the judgment of the Tribunal nullifying the purported election of their party in the July 2022 general election.

“It seems that there is desperation by the PDP to seek dubious validation of the said judgment of the Court of Appeal stemming from apparent fear that the judgment may not stand the test of review by the Supreme Court.

“An early indication of the fact that Osun PDP government is jittery was the initial separate calls by the duo of Hon Wole Oke and Diran Odeyemi that Governor Oyetola should waive his right of appeal to the Supreme Court. I’m particularly amused by these calls because the PDP did not adopt the same stance in 2019 after the Court of Appeal nullified the decision of the Tribunal that initially gave it victory. Also, Hon. Wole Oke, as a fallout of his loss of the 2011 election, exercised his full right of appeal despite the hopelessness of his case then, which was demonstrated under the power of my cross-examination at the Tribunal. Of course, he lost at the Court of Appeal, which was the final Court of Jurisdiction.

“It is, therefore, a lousy double standard for the PDP and their self-appointed and less than altruistic advisers to be counselling against exercise of right of Appeal of Governor Oyetola and the APC. This is clearly an evidence of fear that the Supreme Court may upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

“It does not lie in the mouth of PDP to beg for what they never gave, and much so to falsely attach my name to their dubious and devious intentions.

“I am at one with my party, the APC, that it must exercise its right of appeal at the Supreme Court as I believe that there are good and arguable grounds of appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, among which are: whether it was not erroneous of the court of Appeal to insist on the tendering of voters register when the case of the petitioners, which is supported by evidence of BVAS report, is that persons who were not authenticated and verified by BVAS were allowed to vote in 749 polling units contrary to section 47(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and whether, on the issue of forgery, the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal in Adeleke case, being not a judgment in Rem, is binding on APC and Governor Oyetola, among other grounds of appeal.

“Another intended mischief of the concocted  Facebook account and the ridiculous post therein is to convey an impression that I am not in support of my party. For the avoidance of doubt, I remain irrevocably committed to my party, the APC, and will continue to work assiduously to ensure we overcome the present challenges. I cannot now engage in macabre dance with the antagonists of our party.”

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