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 people of the state, describing the judgment as Kangaroo, jankara and pure miscarriage of justice.
It also declared that the judgement was an act of conspiracy to subvert the mandate the people of Osun gave to Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke on July 16th, 2022, during the gubernatorial election, alleging that the judgment was given to the highest bidder against the international best judicial and democratic practices.
CHRSJ, said it would soon approach the National Judicial Council (NJC) and anti-graft agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the 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 organization how the affected judges allegedly received graft from one of the parties in the matter to deliver kangaroo judgment in favor of the gallant election looser.
The group added that it had also learnt how the tribunal judges were allegedly given landed property in choice areas in Lagos and Abuja.
It equally urged the leadership of the Judicial Council (NJC) and security agents and Interpol to place the judges of 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) and filled Code of Conduct Form for period of year 2022 to 2027, adding that “in most cases, these bribe-taker judges were using their wives, children,relatives and both local and international fugitive to receive the graft.”
The rights group, in reaction to the tribunal judgment, through a signed statement by the CHRSJ’s Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, stated that the said judgment had no bearing in the case before it.
Comrade Sulaiman claimed that the judgment was given in favour of Mr. Gboyega Oyetola “without any tangible prove of alleged over voting in the July 16th, 2022 governorship election in Osun State,” adding that during the trial of the case before the tribunal, that Oyetola did not call any party agent that witness the election at the various alleged polling units to testify before the tribunal in order to prove alleged over voting in the election beyond reasonable doubt.
Sulaiman, who doubles as National Coordinator, Osun West Political Agenda (OWEPA), declared total support to Governor Adeleke’s mandate, stressing that it would not be possible for Oyetola as they did in 2019 to hijack the mandate freely given Senator Adeleke at the poll through the backdoor of judiciary.
He warned the judicial officers against delivering a ‘jankara’ judgment capable of setting the peaceful Osun State on fire because of personal interest.
The group said, “It has been shown clearly 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 judgment in favor of their rejected party going by the recent statement credited to them at public functions and also widely reported by the news media across the globe.
“But they should know 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, has been exposed and they can not use judiciary as a tool to stage a come back to power through the backdoor.
“Mr. Gboyega Oyetola should know better 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 judiciary to get what he could not get at the poll on July 16, 2022.
“What they did in 2019 in Osun and Imo states by using the judiciary to sustain their manipulation is still fresh in the memory of the masses. Oyetola has gone for good in the state and people of the state had moved on from where Oyetola left them.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Oluwakayode Ariwoola should warn judicial officers not to set Osun State on fire with their ‘jankara’ judgment.”
