• * Hails Judiciary; Enjoins Oyetola, APC To Bury Hatchet And Congratulate Adeleke

By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-chief) @CelestineOkaf11

Following the unanimous decision of Nigeria's appellate court in Abuja, on Friday, to validate the mandate of Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Chapter of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), has urged the opposition party in the state, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and it's candidate, former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, to accept the court and the public verdict in the on-going post-election governorship tussle between him and Adeleke.

The Osun PDP Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, stated this in reaction to Oyetola and Osun APC's position of going to the Supreme Court to challenge the unanimous decision of the appellate court that rejected the earlier Osun Election Petition Tribunal judgement in their favour.

Dr Akindele argued that beyond going to the Supreme Court to appeal the judgement of the Appeal Court, if Oyetola and the APC go to ECOWAS Court or the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC), Governor Ademola Adeleke and Osun PDP will still remain victorious.

Akindele said, "Today, God has defeated the desperate mandate unsurpers over Osun Guber election. The unanimous decision today has clearly validate people's will in Osun. We want to urge the Osun APC and enjoin Oyetola too, to bury their hatchet, congratulate Governor Adeleke and join hands with the PDP government in the state to move Osun forward instead of embarking on another futile mission to the Supreme Court.

"If truly Oyetola loves Osun, he should have by now understood that the people have chosen who they want to govern them. It is only a sadistic and vindictive element that will find it difficult to congratulate an eventual victor in an elective position since last year July till this present moment.

"If his fellow APC candidate in the neighbouring Oyo State can call his counterpart within 24hrs that INEC declared the PDP governor victorious, what stops Oyetola from doing same if truly he has a sincere heart to serve the people of the state?", the chairman asked.

The PDP Acting Chairman further said he's waiting to see who the APC will blame again after the Appeal Court verdict.

"When APC lost in the July 16, 2022 gubernatorial election, they blamed it on over-voting for their defeat. At another emphatic victory of PDP during the 2023 National Assembly election, they opined it was due to intimidation and at the last State Assembly election which PDP had an overwhelming majority, they engaged in their usual blame gaming tactics again. The question is, when will Osun APC stop shifting blames for their self inflicted problems? Can't they do a self appraisal and realise that Osun people have totally rejected them and they're beyond redemption?" the chairman stated.

The PDP Chairman further commended the Lord Justices of the appellate court for restoring the confidence of the people in the judiciary.

"We wish to commend and applaud the Lord Justice of the appellate court for upholding the tenet of justice and fairness in the Osun Guber case The unanimous decision by the three judges had shown what we had at the Tribunal before was utterly a miscarriage of justice. However by this judgment, the People's confidence in the Judiciary has been restored and reinforced as the last hope of the common man.

"For deep political thinkers, they understood the previous Tribunal judgement was to evoke a political end, however aftermath of that, Governor Ademola Adeleke had shown he's fully incharge of the state and that PDP is firmly rooted in Osun State.

"We hope the coup plotters will by now have understood the reality in Osun State instead of going through the backdoor for someone that cannot deliver for them when they needed him most for their own political battles or political survival.

"With this judgment, we wish to tell Osun APC and their sponsors to quit unnecessary grandstanding. No matter the legal hurdles they create as an obstacle towards the mandate of Governor Ademola Adeleke. He will continue to remain victorious "

The party further thanked the Osun people and well wishers across board for standing by them and urged them not to cease in interceding for the state and for Governor Adeleke to continue to enjoy God's favour and remain victorious in every other obstacles that might be set on the way.

"Conclusively, we have strong belief that the impeccable characters of the Lord Justices in the Supreme Court of Nigeria will surely do the people's will in Osun and ensure the People's mandate stands validly guarded, notwithstanding the shenanigans and grandstanding of the desperate mandate stealers", the statement concluded. NNL.