Osun Election Tribunal that upheld the victory of the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in the August 9, 2014 Governorship election was disbanded three times between 2014 and 2015. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is merely exhibiting ignorance, deception and lies by questioning the reorganization of the 2018 Osun election tribunal by the President of Court of Appeal. I have challenged the main opposition party to approach the court if it felt that any aspect of the Electoral Act was violated. I want the people of Osun to remember that this same phenomenon occurred in 2014 when the same PDP went to tribunal, attempting to annul the re-election of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola at the time. By my records, which are public knowledge, the tribunal was dissolved three times in 2014. The people of Osun did not know what was responsible for the dissolution, the APC did not issue stupid statements nor was any irresponsible protests, organised against those dissolutions. This was because APC was neither privy to, nor its responsibility to question the action of the judiciary. APC had faith in the process and we allowed it to run its course – this, at a time the PDP itself was in charge of government in Abuja.
PDP is now ignorant that the Election Tribunals in Nigeria are the direct creation of Section 285 of the nation’s Constitution which provides for the establishment of the National Assembly, Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Tribunal. The Constitution also gives original jurisdiction to the Court of Appeal over certain categories of election petitions. The Electoral Act made pursuant to the Constitution furnishes details pertaining to the establishment, membership, jurisdiction and proceedings of each Election Tribunal.

THE President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, has reconstituted the Osun State governorship election petition tribunal. The President of the Court has the power, under the constitution to reorganise the tribunal in the interest of democracy. The spokesperson of the Court of Appeal who said that the newly reconstituted tribunal will soon commence sitting said, there was nothing unusual that the President of the court had done in the case of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. “At times, when Justices of election petition tribunals are reshuffled, they are posted to another tribunal. It is a normal thing,” she said.
It will be recalled that the action of the Court of Appeal in “reorganising” the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sparked-off protest by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State. The National Headquarters of the Court of Appeal has said that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osun, constituted to hear matters arising from the recently concluded governorship poll in the state has not been disbanded as claimed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. In 2014 Osun election tribunal was reconstituted three times and PDP did not protest. This is the drama, fact and ignorance about Osun tribunal.
“It is a normal practice, as such was done in Imo state in October 2016 and also in Benue state in July 2015. She has the constitutional power to do so”, she said.
The Court of Appeal spokeswoman assured that the tribunal will soon commence sitting to hear the petition of Senator Ademola Adeleke and his party.
She said everything done by the Justice Bulkachuwa was in good fate for the development of democracy.

According to the information at my disposal, it was alleged that the PDP wants to use one of the judges whom the party (PDP) considered pliable enough for the achievement of its evil machination. Therefore, this removal is acceptable to us, because it suggests that some dark forces are teleguiding the proceedings of the Tribunal – a development that is inimical to the fair delivery of justice. ”When we got this information about a week ago, we did not lend it much credence, believing that the judiciary will not pander to the PDP or any party whatsoever in the execution of its Constitutional duties.While our confidence in the judiciary remains unshaken, we believe this important arm of government must be shielded from political interference in the interest of justice, and in order for the citizenry not to lose confidence in it,”

The Peoples Democratic Party was wrong to have expressed concern over the alleged closeness of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to the All Progressives Congress. The party raised false alarm against the President of Court of Appeal. The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Diran Odeyemi, in the statement said since the President of the Court of Appeal was the one saddled with the responsibility of constituting election petitions tribunals, there could be possible political interference in the composition of the new Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for Osun State.
The statement read, “The eldest son of Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, Abubakar Bulkachuwa, was until recently a governorship aspirant of the APC in Gombe State. Her husband was also known to be a foundation member of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change.
Nothing could be more absurd than the PDP’s accusation of the APC as the brain behind the dissolution of the Electoral Tribunal.
‘The PDP should be called to order because it is about time it gets responsible. What we are witnessing is an escalation of both distrust in the political process and a lack of faith in the judiciary which does no good to our democracy’.
‘We are not inclined to engage the PDP in an unnecessary argument over the judicial process.
‘Let the justice system plays itself out and our politicians are obligated to respect the decisions of the court. Pretending as the PDP is doing to ascribe ulterior motives to the dissolution of the Electoral Tribunal, is to assume knowledge that are not available to the public.
‘Worst of all, to accuse the APC and the judiciary of collusion to miscarry justice without an iota of proof is a criminal action, the APC emphasised.

PDP had been engaging in irresponsible manipulation of facts since it lost the election last month. ”The most glaring has been the attempt by the PDP to deceive the public over the reason why Osun election tribunal was reorganized. PDP has put out a shameful lie against the President of Court of Appeal.
How this was now twisted to make the public to believe the allegation against the President of Court of Appeal to manipulate the election tribunal in favour of the APC is simply incredulous. In view of the clear desperation by the rejected candidate of the PDP in the September 22 polls, all APC members and supporters in particular and the entire good people of Osun in general must remain vigilant in order to frustrate the undisguised attempt by the enemies of progress and anti-democratic forces to thwart the will of the people of the state, which they expressed on September 22 despite all acts of intimidation and harassment.

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Inwalomhe Donald writes from Osogbo, [email protected]