Osun Guber Race: Judgement is unacceptable to People, Rights Group tells Tribunal Judges

A human rights organisation, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), has declared the Friday majority judgement of the Osun Election Petition Tribunal as unacceptable to the good people of the State, describing the judgement as Kangaroo, jankara and pure miscarriage of justice.

It also declared that the judgement was an act of conspiracy to subvert the Will of Osun people given to Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke on July 16th, 2022, during the gubernatorial election, alleging that the judgement was given to the highest bidder against the international best judicial and democratic practices.

It, however, said that the group (CHRSJ) would soon approach the National Judicial Council (NJC) and anti-graft agencies of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation of the Tribunal Judges, noting that it has come to the notice of the human rights organisation (CHRSJ) on how the affected judges were receiving graft from one of the parties in the matter to deliver kangaroo judgement in favour of the gallant election looser and to the extent of giving landed property to the Tribunal Judges in a choice area in Lagos and Abuja respectfully.

It equally urged the leadership of the Judicial Council (NJC) and security agents and Interpol to place these judges of the Osun Election Petition Tribunal and their family members, especially their wives and children, under security watch by obtaining their National Identity Numbers(NIN), Bank Verification Number (BVN). It filled the Code of Conduct Form for 2022 to 2027, adding that in most cases, these bribe-taker judges used their wives, children, relatives and local and international fugitives to receive their graft.

In reaction to the Tribunal Judgement, the rights group, through a signed statement by the CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, stated that the Tribunal judgement had no bearing in the case before it.

Comrade Sulaiman disclosed that the said Tribunal judgement gave in favour of Mr Gboyega Oyetola without any tangible proof of alleged overvoting in the July 16th, 2022, governorship election in Osun State, adding that during the trial of the case before the Tribunal, Oyetola did not call any party agent that witnesses the election at the various alleged polling units to testify before Tribunal to prove alleged over voting in the election beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sulaiman, who doubles as National Coordinator, Osun West Political Agenda (OWEPA), declared total support to Governor Ademola Adeleke’s mandate, stressing that it would not be possible for Oyetola as they did in 2019 to hijack the mandate freely given Senator Ademola Adeleke at the poll through the backdoor of the judiciary.

He warned the judicial officers against delivery of jankara judgement to set the peaceful Osun State on fire because of personal pocket without minding the implications of such frivolous judgement would have on the populace of the State, believing that the higher Courts of the land would upturn the kangaroo judgement of the Tribunal.

According to CHRSJ, ” It has been showing clearly now that the former Governor of Osun State, Mr Gboyega Oyetola and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Timothy Owoeye of All Progressives Congress (APC), had pre-knowledge of the outcome of the Tribunal judgement in favour of their rejected party during the governorship poll of July 16th,2022, going by the recent statement credited to them in the public functions and also widely reported by the news media across the globe that Oyetola will soon come back to the power of the State through the backdoor.

“But they should know now that all their abracadabra to manipulate the judiciary in their favour as part of their efforts to subvert the wish of God on the good people of Osun had been exposed, and they can not use the judiciary as a tool to stage a come back to the power of the State through the backdoor. Mr Gboyega Oyetola should know better now that he cannot rule the State by force, as he cannot force himself on the good people of the State.

“People of the State had rejected Oyetola at the guber poll, and it would not be possible for him to use the judiciary to get what he could not get at the poll on July 16th,2022, to rule the State by force, what they did in 2019 in Osun and the Imo States by using the judiciary to sustain their manipulation still fresh in the memory of the masses of the State. Oyetola has gone for good in the State, and the people of the State have moved on from where Oyetola left them. President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Oluwakayode Ariwoola, should warn judicial officers not to set Osun State on fire with their jankara judgement.”