Tribunal: Nothing to celebrate in document presentation, Adeleke’s counsel tells Osun APC

By Stephen Gbadamosi, Ibadan

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has told its rival, the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the recent admission of some documents by the Governorship Election Petition Tribuna was of no value to the case.

According to a statement by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the spokeman to the governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Thursday, the party refrained from commenting on the seeming euphoria of the APC as it was in a mourning mood.

“We want to note that we have been silent on tribunal matters for the past few days in observance of the mourning of the sad exit of our son, Ifeanyi Davido.

“We, however, find it necessary to correct the falsehood being spread by the APC over the tribunal proceedings. We affirm that ongoing tendering of documents by counsel to Mr. Gboyega Oyetola is not in any way an indication of judicial victory over Senator Ademola Adeleke. “In any case, before the law today, APC had no candidate for the July 16th election, DailyTimesNGR gathered.

“The counsel to the governor-elect, Nathaniel Oke, SAN, and the Osun State PDP chairman have both clarified this position after today’s proceeding at the Osun State Governorship Tribunal. Mr. Oke narrated that the petitioners are currently presenting their case which includes presentation of documents relating to the electoral processes.

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“The petitioners have time allotted to them.

“We will be challenging the admissibility of many of the submitted documents in our final address after which the panel will deliver ruling in their judgments.

“This implies that there is nothing special or spectacular about the ongoing presentation.

“We should all be aware that after the petitioners have presented their case, the defence team will take turn to also make presentation. We will also present documents, call witnesses and submit hard materials. “Our case suffers no setback, as nothing has happened that signify any positive turn of event for the petitioner,” Rasheed quoted Oke as having explained.

The defence team further berated the APC for engaging in media trial by pretending to be achieving mileage, when the so-called documents were just results sheets duly signed by APC agents and purported BVAS report.

“Rather than submitting the documents at a sitting, the APC further staggered the submissions across three days, in a bid to sustain false narrative of good showing at the tribunal.

“We accused the APC of a failed bid to win public sympathy as the exercise further confirms that Governor Oyetola has no chance of stopping the will of Osun people from materializing,” the statement said.

Also speaking on the subject, the Osun State PDP Caretaker Committee chairman, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, said “the party was silent since yesterday on the court proceedings, because of the bereavement within the Adeleke family,” wondering why APC operatives were embarking on false propaganda at a time of mourning for a prominent son of Osun State.

“We have remained silent on the court matter, because these are trying days for a top son of Osun State, Davido, and the entire Adeleke family. Let me reassure our people that Mr. Oyetola is just continuing his failed media propaganda as nothing incriminating or damaging has happened to our governor-elect at the tribunal.

“Our defence remains as solid as ever. The victory of PDP is a reality that cannot be upturned by a man who is not even a candidate in the election he is challenging,” Akindele was quoted as saying.

He noted that “it is elementary that in judicial proceedings, petitioner and defence teams normally have allotted time to present their cases,” wondering “what tickles petitioners with mere documents presentation at the tribunal? It is even surprising that the outgoing governor and his APC, who earlier declared that the petition would be the fastest, are those now playing at the tribunal while their time wastes away, yet dishing out lies and false narratives to members of the public in their desperate media voyage.

“Let them know they are chasing shadows. Osun people have decided.”