Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal verdict: “A Travesty of Judgment”– Bode George

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on has berated the judgement of the Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal verdict, which sacked Senator Ademola Adeleke as governor of the state, describing the verdict as gross miscarriage of justice.

While calling for an indepth probe of the verdict, in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Segun Edwards, he said: “never in the history of this country have we witnessed this magnitude of miscarriage of justice, and dare ask; when did the judiciary become the counter of votes to now arrive at the deduction of lawful votes cast by the people, to decide the mandate freely given by them, in a free and fair electoral contest?

According to him, the judgement is suspect in its entirety, more so, coming at such a crucial time, just some weeks when Nigerians will be going to the poll to elect a new President, I dare say, it is weirdiest way to send a wrong electoral signal.

Indeed, it calls for deep introspection, for this verdict which has turned justice on its head, to have been delivered by the judiciary, seen as the last hope at this critical and crucial period of the nation desperately in need of fresh breathe from a soffocating atmosphere.

INEC’s duty, so well defined, is to count votes, while judiciary’s role is also defined, not to count votes.
I dare say that the responsibility to elect who manages the resources of Osun State squarely rest on the people of Osun State, which they have done, not for the judiciary to count and remove votes.

Advertisement

I am, hereby, sounding a note of caution, that the will of the people of Osun State, who resoundingly delivered their mandate to Governor Ademola Adeleke, cannot just be shattered into smithereens under such a hoax judicial verdict, particularly at crucial time of our nation’s history of going to the polls to elect a new president.

While I am so utterly disappointed by this judicial pronouncement, I remain steadfast that other higher judicial organs will revisit this judgement, to restore the mandate freely given by well-meaning people of Osun for the progress of their state.

I fervently appeal to the people of Osun State, to remain calm, knowing fully well that is the real Wild Wild West, when it comes to the real issues of the Southwest political history, as it is certain that this injustice is bound to be rejected and corrected in due course.

Also speaking on the lingering PDP crisis, he said the issue of injustice led to the crisis, stating that he remains resolute as a founding member of the party, to uphold the tenents of the largest political entity in the entire sub-sahara Africa.

“I boldly restate my commitment to the need for our party to have an equitable distribution of all elective and non-elective positions within the party, as enshrined in constitution of the party.
“We stakeholders in the Southern divide of our great party consider the current stand-off, as disregard for equity, fairness and justice being perpetrated by hirachy of our party, as affront and crass arrogance”.

“The hirachy of leadership of PDP, as presently constituted, is a flagrant abuse of the lofty principles of rotation and power sharing, where the Presidential candidate (Atiku) is from the Northeast, National Chairman (Ayu) from Northeast, Director General, Presidential Campaign Council Northcentral, Chairman Board of Trustee (Southeast), while there is no position accorded the Southwest.

“The Southwest has no place in the composition of the top echelon of the party presently and that is totally unacceptable, we are not talking about charlatans who are busy junketting everywhere, to have any position giving out to them.

“I state boldly, that nobody can undermine the Yoruba race and get away with it”.