Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has restated its confidence in the integrity and capacity of the Nigerian judiciary to right the wrong and reverse the openly illogical ruling of the Osun State Governorship Tribunal.
In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the party affirmed that its complaints is with the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Terse Kume who exhibited open judicial bias, partisan review of evidence before the Tribunal, abandonment of incontrovertible facts from the BVAS machines, neglect of primary role of Form EC8 series and eventual deliberate miscarriage of Justice.
“Ever since the judgment was delivered, our party and the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke have been consistent and frank in our separation of Kume’s Buga judgement from the nation’s judiciary, an institution that remains a strong pillar of our democratic system. While the trial lasted, we also avoided media trial in utmost respect for the sanctity of the hallowed chamber of Justice. This was at a time , the APC was all over the media space, engaging in sub judice conduct.
“At a time the appeal process is taking off, the APC and the Oyetola gang have taken to the airwaves again , dragging the Court of Appeal in the mud by predicting outcome of the Appeal process. In series of reprehensible interviews , Oyetola’s gang of electoral bandits have engaged in contentious pronouncements which are sufficient to commit them to prison.
As PDP is a party of law and order, we have refrained from prejudicial actions even as we pursue the path of due diligence within the framework of appeal process and in strict respect for the nation’s judiciary. We respect the judicial process as we have strong water tight grounds of appeal which we are convinced will be sustained by the appellate courts
From local to international political space, shock still pervades the space on the Osun Tribunal ruling. Up till this moment, many people of goodwill across party lines are still expressing disbelief at the brazen attempt to subvert the will of the people and the shameless defence of Kume’s evil action by some children of perdition who will soon be condemned to the trash bin of history.
“Much more critical is the apprehension about the fate of over 200 million Nigerians whose political future is now put in jeopardy by a conscienceless judicial official. By attempting to rubbish the BVAS machine, the Tribunal Chairman endangers the credibility of the federal and state elections holding in the next few days, threatening the peace and stability of the federal republic of Nigeria. The Tribunal Chairman deliberately set the stage for national political implosion by attempting to demolish the major pillar of the nation’s electoral system, the BVAS machine. Osun governorship litigation is therefore a national emergency rather than a mere state matter.
“That explains why the ruling was greeted with unanimous condemnation from members of the public, the political class, the mainstream establishment, the diplomatic community and the global democracy family. The judiciary is therefore well positioned and in full knowledge of all the facts to enable it to take appropriate corrective action through the appeal process. This is a necessary condition for the sustainability and deepening of our nascent democracy.
“We therefore call on the APC and its hordes of electoral thieves to allow the judiciary to perform its statutory functions. As it has become very obvious, the thief who steals the king’s trumpet will have nowhere to blow it”, the statement concluded.