The Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended the Nigerian judiciary for rejecting the relocation petition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with regard to the Osun Election Petition Tribunal.
The Osun APC had petitioned the Court of Appeal for the election petition tribunal to be relocated out of the state on the basis that the state was not secured.
This is as the party stated that there were no justifiable reasons for such a request and that it was elated that the judicial leadership saw through the plot and adopted the position of security agencies that Osun is secured enough to host the sitting of the Tribunal.
In a press statement signed by Adekunle Akindele, the Osun State Caretaker Chairman, and obtained by newsmen on Sunday, the party, which maintained that Osun was not only a peaceful state, added that the state government mostly engineered the few cases of insecurity in its despairing agenda to scuttle peoples’ will.
It also hinted that it was aware of a series of prejudicial media publications from the state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the All Progressive Congress (APC) over the petition challenging the election of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State.
The party also stated that it had noticed “with disappointment that the intensity of the sponsored, subjudice media trial increased soon after the rejection by the President, Court of Appeal of Oyetola’s request to relocate the Tribunal sitting from Osogbo to Abuja.”
While explaining that the objection of the party to the relocation request by the APC was premised on the critical need to protect the integrity and safety of BVAS machines and other materials used during the elections, Osun PDP added “keeping them safe here in Osun rather than exposing them to tampering and hacking on transit, is our official position.”
It also explained that the machines are central to the determination of the petition.
According to the statement, “Our attention has been drawn to a series of prejudicial media publications from Mr Gboyega Oyetola and the All Progressive Congress (APC) over the petition challenging the election of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State.
“We notice with disappointment that the intensity of the sponsored, subjudice media trial increased soon after the rejection by the President, Court of Appeal of Oyetola’s request to relocate the Tribunal sitting from Osogbo to Abuja.
“We first of all commend the judiciary for rejecting the relocation petition as there was no justifiable reasons for such request. Osun is not only peaceful but the few cases of insecurity were mostly engineered by the state government in its despairing agenda to scuttle peoples’ will. We are therefore elated that the judicial leadership saw through the plot and adopted the position of security agencies that Osun is secured enough to host the sitting of the Tribunal.
“We must hasten to add that our objection to the relocation request was premised on the critical need to protect the integrity and safety of BVAS machines and other materials used during the elections. As the machines are likely to be central to the determination of the petition, keeping them safe here in Osun rather than exposing them to tampering and hacking on transit, is our official position.”
It was reported on Friday that the Appeal Court in Abuja had rejected Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s request to relocate the sitting of the Tribunal to Abuja.
The Chief Registrar Court of Appeal, Bangari Umar, in a letter titled: RE: PETITION NO, EPT/OS/GOV/01/2022, ADEGBOYEGA ISIAKA OYETOLA & ANOR V. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION & 2 ORS on Friday rejected the proposal of Oyetola, the All Progressives Congress’s candidate in the July 16 governorship election.
According to the note, Oyetola, on August 23, wrote to the President of the Court, Justice M.B Dongban Mensem of Appeal, on the subject matter.
The Court of Appeal noted that after due consultation on and consideration of Oyetola’s request, the President of the Court was unable to accede to the proposal as the Security Agencies in the State have assured the Court of their co-operation and support in enhancing the security of the Tribunal and its sittings.
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