The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun has lambasted the state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola for blaming PDP for his legal disqualification.
In a statement signed by Adekunle Akindele, the Osun PDP caretaker chairman and obtained by DAILY POST on Saturday in Osogbo, the party urged the defeated governor to face the nullification of his nomination due to violation of the constitution.
DAILY POST had reported that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided by Justice Emeka Nwite had nullified the nomination of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and his running mate, Benedict Alabi by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just recently concluded Osun gubernatorial election.
The court also held that Governor Buni violated the provision of sections of the constitution because he held dual executive positions as the Governor of Yobe State and as well, the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of APC.
In a reaction, also reported by DAILY POST, the governor’s spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan in a statement said the governor’s lawyers were getting set to challenge the decision of the Federal High Court at the Appeal Court.
Omipidan had noted that the legal battles which resulted in the nullification were part of the antics of the opposition PDP and some of their collaborators from within to distract the Osun APC.
While reacting to the governor’s statement accusing PDP, Akindele reiterated that the case was filed by concerned legal luminaries in April 2022.
He also explained that the case was not in any way related to the ongoing petition of the outgoing governor before the Election Petition Tribunal.
While reminding the Governor and the APC that the issue bordered on constitutional breaches, the Osun PDP Chairman declared that any Nigerian was qualified to seek judicial review to protect the integrity of the constitution which is the ground norm of the nation in the national interest.
Faulting the claims of internal affairs in a constitutional matter, the party Chairman said, “Such reasoning is a signal of half-baked understanding of the law and referred to the judgement which said the provisions of section 183 of the constitution were breached in the process of Oyetola and his deputy’s nominations.
“For Oyetola and his team, that section of the constitution expressly notes as follows: ‘The governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever. As the breaches were truly real, we are not responsible for the nullification which renders Mr Oyetola an interloping participant in the July 16th elections.
“Irrespective of the nullification judgement, PDP and her candidate, the Governor-elect, have prepared a water-tight defence. It was Mr Oyetola who was scared of his very weak petition who had resorted to media trial which has further destroyed any credibility the frivolous petition may have initially enjoyed.”
