Osun: Can Oyetola Be Granted Legal Victory In The Face Of Documented Electoral Infractions ?
The Oasis Reporters
January 17, 2019
By Akintunde Bello Sheriff
No Judge can grant Gboyega Oyetola legal victory, and this is why we are confident that the All Progressive Congress, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC must meet their Waterloo upon the outcome of Osun Election Petitions Tribunal.
As at September 22nd, 2018, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke was leading with almost 400 votes margin. The PDP won more than 25% votes in 28 local governments out of 30 local governments. On the face of constitutionality, Demola Adeleke was due for announcement as winner on the 23rd of September, 2018 having won the majority votes and a more than satisfactory spread in percentage votes cast as enshrined by the law.
While waiting for the lawful announcement, the unexpected happened, the Professor who served as Collation Officer at the State illegally declared the election as inconclusive against the dictate of the constitution and INEC Guidelines. The only task of the Collation Officer is to resolve addition and subtraction and declare a Winner. If there was any need for any cancellation, the law is that such must happen at the affected polling unit and such cancellation can be lawfully done by only the Presiding Officer of INEC at the affected place where the marred election was held to be announced before all the voters present.
That did not happen.
INEC based its decision to conduct rerun election in 7 polling units on falsehood just to cover up for the failure of Gboyega Oyetola at the first ballot. The falsehood was that election did not hold at all in Unit 5, Ward 17 of Osogbo LG. Miraculously and surprisingly too, INEC had issued pink form EC8A containing scores of political parties of the same Unit it said election did not hold to party agents. That pink form was submitted by the Petitioner yesterday and the same admitted by the Tribunal. Yet INEC held another election in the same unit in a so called rerun.
Again, INEC hinged its reason for a rerun on the observed over voting in one of the affected Units in Ife.
But the INEC goofed because its own guidelines state that where there was over voting, outright cancellation is compulsory. Instead of cancelling, the INEC Collation Officer at the State ordered a rerun. How can these naked infractions stand?
The National Human Rights Council as one of the accredited Observers as duly authenticated by INEC has witnessed in favour of PDP that there was security compromise on the day of the rerun. The Nigeria Bar Association, NBA having duly observed the elections also affirmed before the Tribunal Panel that the rerun fell below acceptable standards. Above all, visual disapproval of the international Observers including the United Nations, United Kingdom and European Union missions are before the court stating that there was no proper election during the September 27th rerun.
How can Gboyega Oyetola or the APC go scot free without bearing the consequences of their rigging?
My question is, assuming the rerun election was set aside if the Tribunal agrees with the overwhelming facts and evidence by the Petitioner, who wins, or who is Osun State Governor elect effect from September 22nd, between Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke and Gboyega Oyetola?
Akintunde Bello Sheriff is
Head of New Media in the Senator Adeleke Organization.
