Tag: Gov. Gboyega Oyetola

Osun Poll: Tribunal reserves judgment

The Osun Election Petitions Tribunal on Friday adjourned for judgment, the petition filed by former Gov Gboyega Oyetola, challenging the victory of Sen. Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the July 16 governorship election.

The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Tertsea Kume, reserved the judgment for a later day to be communicated to parties in the matter after the petitioner and respondents had adopted their final written addresses in Osogbo, the capital.

Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on Aug. 5, submitted a petition before the tribunal in Osogbo.

Oyetola and APC were challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state for various alleged electoral malpractice, especially over-voting.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adeleke as the winner of the governorship election, having polled 403, 271 votes against 375,027 polled by Oyetola.

Earlier, Counsel to APC, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) in his final written address, said all documents and processes were filed and submitted on Jan. 8.

Fagbemi adopted all submitted written documents and objections on point of law and also argued all objections earlier filed by the respondents, asking the court to accede to all his submissions and requests.

Fagbemi cited sections 51 (2) and 47(2) of the Electoral Act on cancellation of polling units where numbers of votes exceeded the numbers of registered and accredited voters .

Also, Mr Akin Olujimi, SAN, counsel to Oyetola, said the testimonial tendered by Gov. Adeleke did not show that he attended Muslim Grammar School in Ede.

Olujimi dismissed the claime by the repondents that Gov. Adeleke was eligible to contest election and he submitted that the testimonial that Adeleke tendered was fake because it was obtained in 1988 from Osun State, while Osun was actually created in 1991.

According to him, the respondent should have pleaded that the mistake was a typographical issue but which they never did.

Olujimi said all the documents tendered by the respondent’s counsel had no connection with each other, with no probative value .

INEC Counsel , Prof. Paul Ananaba, SAN, in his own submissions, tendered to the court his final written addresses dated Dec. 30, 2022 and filed same date, with replies on points of law dated Jan. 9 and filed Jan.11 respectively.

Ananaba adopted all documents submitted as his final written address, saying the duty of INEC was to certify that the respondent, Adeleke, was qualified to contest the governorship election which they did .

He said, “the petitioners complained of over- voting and infractions by picking 749 polling units to contend with from 1750 polling units, according to the first respondent witnessed (RW1) .

” If deduction of 1750 units was carried out from the total 3763 units in the state, the second respondent will still emerge as winner with over 20,000 votes.”

Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, Counsel to Gov. Ademola Adeleke, also adopted all the tendered documents filed as its final written address and urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitioners application against his client.

Ikpeazu said that the argument against Adeleke’s certificates and eligibility to contest the governorship election had been addressed by the Court of Appeal.

On the issue of over-voting claim, Ikpeazu told the court that certified true copies of documents of accreditation was done through the BVAS machines , adding that BVAS was the primary source of accreditation.

He further argued that extraction from INEC data base was not same as extraction from the BVAS machines .

Ikpeazu said that petitioners agents did not contest the results of any polling units on the day of election, despite that they also signed the results which were authentic .

” The entries in form EC8A tallied with figures on the forms as being contended by the petitioners .

“You can not determine over voting proper without the application of the BVAS machines,” he said .

Counsel to PDP, Mr Alex Iziyon, SAN, also adopted all written documents filed and submitted on point of laws.

Iziyon said the issue of forgery of certificate as contended by the petitioners had been cleared in the judgment of the Court of Appeal and had no value.

January 14, 2023
Osun 2022: Tribunal adjourns pre-hearing in Oyetola’s suit until Oct. 4

The Osun Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo , on Monday, adjourned until Oct. 4 the pre-hearing of a petition filed by Gov. Gboyega Oyetola against the declaration of Ademola Adeleke as the Governor-elect.

The Chairman of the tribunal , Justice Tertsea Kume , fixed the date and granted INEC, PDP and Adeleke seven-days to respond to the pre-hearing form served on them by the tribunal.

Earlier, Counsel to the All Progress Congress (APC) , Prof. Kayode Olatoke , SAN, had informed the court of his readiness to continue with pre-hearing session, having filed his form TF008, where issues for determination were raised.

On the request of the tribunal for advisce, Olatoke suggested that the matter should be stand down for few hours for the respondents to also respond to the tribunal pre-hearing form.

Counsel to the INEC, Ben Ananaba, SAN, said the pre-hearing could not go on because he was just served with the pre-hearing form this morning, saying statutorily, they have seven day to respond.

Counsel to Adeleke, Bamidele Abolarin and counsel representing PDP, Nathaniel Oke, SAN, also requested the tribunal to give them the required seven days to respond.

Addressing newsmen after the sitting, Olagoke said the adjournment was not out of place, but the tribunal has the power to abridge the days required for any of the parties to respond.

“We were supposed to begin pre-hearing session this morning but unfortunately, the respondents were served an application which they were to respond to.

Oke said :” what transpired in court was the preliminaries in respect of the totality trial of the petition”.

He said that PDP is ready to defend its victory in the last governorship election in the state , despite the urgly incident in 2018.

Newsmen reports that following the outcome of the July 16 governorship election in Osun, Oyetola and the APC filed a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the State High Court, Osogbo.

The petitioners who were seeking justice challenged the results of the election in some of the Local Government Areas and prayed the Tribunal to return their mandate to them.

The INEC had declared Adeleke winner of the July 16 governorship election having polled a total number of 403,271 against 375,027 polled by Oyetola.

September 26, 2022
How Adeboye attempted mediating in Oyetola, Aregbesola’s rift – Lawmaker

Rep. Lawrence Ayeni (APC-Osun) says Pastor Enoch Adeboye has tried to settle the political rift between Osun Gov. Gboyega Oyetola and his predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola, to no avail.

Adeboye, who is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Aregbesola, the incumbent Minister of Interior, are both from Osun.

Ayeni, who represents Ilesha West/Ilesha East, Atakumosa East/Atakumosa West Federal Constituency of Osun, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

It would be recalled that the state’s July 15 governorship election was won by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) due to the rift between the Ileri/Oluwa group and The Osun Progressive (TOP).

The IleriOluwa group is headed by the governor, while the TOP group is led by the minister.

Ayeni said a reconciliation meeting aimed at settling the rift between the two gladiators was actually fixed and billed to be mediated by Adeboye but one of them failed to show up.

The lawmaker said that although Adeboye initially declined to mediate in the duo’s political rift, saying he was not a politician, he later accepted the offer to mediate to settle it.

“Adeboye said that for him, he was not a politician and he was not going to poke-nose because of certain things but the two of them could not meet in his house.

“Had it been they were able to meet him may be the crisis would have been over.

“One of them did not even go for the scheduled meeting with Adeboye and Adeboye said well, that is it,” he said.

Rep Ayeni said that others like former interim Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, former Gov. Segun Osoba and even the Presidential candidate of APC, Sen Bola Tinubu also tried to settle the rift to no avail.

He said that all the APC House of Reps members from Osun also did all their best possible to also resolve the crisis but met a brick wall.

According to him, and up to the stage that the election was approaching, the chairman of the party called them, but if one side comes today, the other won’t come.

The lawmaker said that to date, he could not explain what could have happened between the duo, adding that it was better the rift was settled so that it would not affect the party in the general elections.

He called on the two to sit down and resolve the issue, adding that he was hopeful they would come together.

Ayeni said that the major thing that contributed to the APC’s loss was a lack of unity, adding that there was no unity in the party and any house that was divided against itself would not stand.

He said, “had it been we were united, the opposition could not have found their way even through the rigging, so we must ensure unity in the party.”

The lawmaker said that everyone had seen the result of the division in the governorship election and learned a lesson from it.

He added that Osun was critical to the South West and the party must put its house in order to win in 2023.

Ayeni said that the division could also affect his own re-election bid, having secured his return ticket as the party’s candidate; hence all hands must be on deck to win.

He said what surprised him most was that the APC was supposed to win Ijesha land with what he had done, “but we failed even in my local government.”

September 5, 2022
Osun 2022: Alliance for Democracy declares support for Oyetola

The Alliance for Democracy (AD) has declared support for the re-election of Gov. Gboyega Oyetola, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Saturday’s election in Osun.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Chairman and Secretary of the party’s Convention Planning Committee, Malam Abdallah Muktar and Mr Kola Ajayi, on Friday.

The statement urged members to work for the re-election of Oyetola, being part of the progressive party just like the AD.

Newsmen reports that AD, one of the de-registered parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is not allowed to field candidates for the gubernatorial election.

“At the leadership and stakeholders meeting held in Iwo, Osun State on May 01, it was generally agreed that the party should work in agreement and support the candidature of His Excellency Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, in the coming elections in Osun State on July 16.

“All our members, loyalists and stakeholders are by this declaration hereby directed to go out and vote Gov.Oyetola for a deserved second term in office.

“We equally enjoin all the good people of Osun State to vote Gov. Oyetola for continuity in good governance,” it said.

Similarly, the party congratulated Sen. Bola Tinubu on his emergence as the winner of the APC presidential primaries recently.

The statement recalled that Tinubu was one of the governors on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in 1999.

According to it, Tinubu remains the only surviving governor on the platform of the AD in the Southwest in 2003, and he is the only man standing for progressive politics in Nigeria.

It said that Tinubu, a two-term former governor of Lagos State, fought hard and brought back to the Progressives’ fold other states such as Ekiti, Ondo, Osun and Edo among others.

The statement described Tinubu as a man of ideology, one who believed in party discipline and supremacy as well as in the vision and ethics of the AD.

“The leadership of the party, congratulates him (Tinubu) on his well-deserved victory at the APC primaries and his emergence as the party’s presidential flag bearer.

“The party assures Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of its unalloyed support throughout the length and breadth of the country as one of us, and promised to work tirelessly to ensure victory for Asiwaju at the elections in 2023,” it said.

July 15, 2022
Osun 2022: Gov. Gboyega Oyetola warns against political violence

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has warned opposition political parties in the state against violent campaigns ahead of the July 16 governorship election.

Oyetola said that his administration would no longer tolerate the repeat of attacks on Journalists and his supporters as witnessed during his campaign in Gbongan town, Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

The governor said this during an engagement programme with members of the Osun Chapter of Nigeria Professional Photographers and Videographers Association on Sunday in Osogbo.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the governor urged political parties to play the game according to the rules.

“I want to say this, very important, I want the opposition parties to please play the game according to the rules.

“I don’t want any violence in Osun. We are a peace-loving state. We have seen to be one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria.

“I don’t want anything that will affect the peace of our state. Do your campaign as expected. The incident in Gbongan will never be tolerated again.

“We’ve been going about doing our campaigns peacefully. I expect the opposition parties to emulate our peaceful campaigns across the state.

“There must be no reason for any violence when it comes to campaign or the election itself,” he said.

Oyetola, however, said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fully prepared to win the election, adding that “APC is the party to beat anytime, any day.”

The governor, who noted that his administration would not relent in giving the best to the masses, said much undeniable work had been done in the last three and half years to move the state forward.

The governor said that his administration had over time embarked on socio-economic and infrastructure development in the state.

Oyetola said this was evident in his strive to build an enduring economy, where people’s well-being and pursuit of happiness would become the hallmark of development in the state.

The governor, however, appreciated members of the association for their support of the state government and promised that he would continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses to thrive.

He appealed to the people who had registered but were yet to collect their Permanent Voter’s Card(PVC) to go for the collection so as to support him and APC in winning the election.

In his remarks, the chairman of the association, Mr Issac Adegoke, commended the governor for the various developmental projects and his unique approach to good governance through continuous engagement with the people.

Adegoke also appreciated the contribution of the civic engagement centre in reaching out to all social stratas in the state.

He promised that members of the association would work towards the re-election of the governor.

May 29, 2022
Osun not for sale to highest bidder – Oyetola campaign council to Adeleke

The Gov. Gboyega Oyetola Campaign Council has said that Osun is not for sale to the highest bidder in the July 16 governorship election.

Reacting to comments purportedly made at the weekend by Sen. Ademola Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, the group described the statement as absurd and unacceptable.

A statement by the Director-General of the campaign council, Sen. Ajibola Bashiru, on Monday in Osogbo, said that the boast by Adeleke to have enough money – both local and in foreign currencies – to execute his political ambition was embarrassing.

It would be recalled that Adeleke had at the weekend during the party’s Osun Central Campaign, said “Osun people, you are the ones to decide.

“If it is about money, I have enough. I came with plenty money.

“And it is not only naira; I came with dollars, pounds and Euro. This time around in Osun, it is fire for fire”.

Bashiru said that on daily basis, the PDP candidate was proving to the electorate that he had nothing to offer.

“Osun people are not gullible. We have left them in no doubt of the quality of our party, the APC and our administration are made of, including the capacity of our candidate to deliver in the past three and half years.

“We have proved through our inclusive governance strategy that our people are our strength and that we do not take them for granted and we will never take them for granted.

“This explains why in spite of the way the 2018 election went, our administration began infrastructure intervention from Ede, the hometown of the PDP candidate.

“Osun people are enlightened, they Know that the state and its citizens are not up for sale to the highest bidder.

“Therefore, the PDP candidate should keep his money. Or better still, he could deploy those resources to establish industries to provide jobs for the people.

” This way, he will also be supporting the present administration’s noticeable efforts in the last three and half years to industrialise the state and change its narrative as a civil service state, to one bubbling with economic activities.

“It is on record that the Oyetola-led administration has since inception taken concrete steps to open up the state for investments, and has been able to attract a number of investments into Osun, contributing to the economic growth of the state.

“We assure the PDP candidate that like the administration did to other players in the private sector, we will provide a level playing ground for his business to thrive and ensure Osun and its people derive maximum benefit from the investment”, he said.

Bashiru also cautioned Adeleke against overheating the polity with his incendiary comments and violent tendencies, wondering what he meant by saying ‘its fire for fire this time around’.

“As a responsible party, we urge Senator Adeleke and his party to embrace peaceful conduct and decorum in their political engagements and electioneering.

“We must avoid any comment or action that can jeopardise the peace and stability of our state,” he said.

May 16, 2022
Osun 2022 Election: Why I’ll be re-elected – Oyetola

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun says keeping to promises he made to the people of the state in the last three and half years of his administration with limited resources, will give him victory in the July 16 governorship election in the state.

The governor said this at an engagement programme organised by the State’s Civic Engagement Centre with the Osun Chapter of the Association of Master Bakers on Sunday in Osogbo.

Oyetola, who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, said the masses could testify to his achievements in all areas, which would make them support his re-election.

The governor, who noted that he would continue to focus on quality service delivery to the people, said the will of God would prevail through the popular support of the people.

Oyetola said that with the available meager resources accrued to the state, he had turned the economy of the state around positively for the benefit of those who elected him.

The governor, who described the masses as the pillar of his administration since its inception, said that he would continue to make sacrifices that would make life more comfortable for them.

Oyetola also said that he remained the candidate to beat in the election, adding that Osun belonged to the progressives, and nothing could change the status quo.

“My re-election is God’s project because the masses are behind me, and they will return me to office in the next election.

“I kept the promises I made with the good people of the state within the limited resources, and I know that they will keep faith with me on the election day.

“I will not in any way relax in my second term in office, but rather continue to build on the solid foundation we have laid,” he said.

Oyetola appealed to members of the association, who were yet to pick their Permanent Voter Cards at the Independent National Electoral Commission office to do so and use the same to support his re-election.

He said he would continue to provide the enabling environment for the growth and expansion of their businesses.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Mr Bakare Ganiyu, commended the governor for various developmental projects in the state.

Ganiyu promised that members of the association would support the re-election bid of the governor for his administration to continue with the good works.

April 24, 2022
Osun 2022: Gov. Oyetola appeals to electorate to safeguard PVC

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has urged the electorate in the state to safeguard their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the July 16 gubernatorial election in the state.

Oyetola made the appeal during an interaction with members of the Nigeria Professional Photographers and Videographers Association on Wednesday in Osogbo.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the governor appealed to the residents not to allow any individual to deceive them to part with their PVCs.

The governor, who noted that the strength of the electorate is his or her PVC, urged them to jealously guard it.

Oyetola also urged those who are yet to obtain their PVCs to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Some people will want to collect your PVC under the pretence of giving you money or material things.

“They are all liars. Those things that they did not give you two years ago, they are lying to give you a few months to the election.

“Our election is coming up on July 16, I appeal to you to get your PVC and use the same to support me and APC.

“Your PVC is your power. Don’t trade it for fake promises and always keep it safe.

“Use your PVC to protect and keep in office the administration that is serving you diligently,” the governor said.

Oyetola, who expressed optimism that APC would win the governorship election convincingly, commended the people of the state for their support since the beginning of his administration.

He pledged to continue to prioritise the people’s welfare and also protect their interests.

“I sincerely appreciate the people of the state for their support for us in the state, but you need to show more of this support in the coming election.

“As you know, I always protect your interest and this is obvious in all our developmental programmes and projects across the state,” Oyetola said.

The governor also appreciated members of the association for their support for the state government, with a promise that his administration would continue to provide an enabling environment for their businesses.

In his remarks, the chairman of the association, Mr Isaac Adegoke, commended the state government for its various developmental projects across the state.

He also appreciated the government for “its unique approach to good governance through continuous engagement with the people’’.

Adegoke, while also presenting an award for best performance in service to Oyintiloye, said it was to appreciate the contribution and value-added by the Civic engagement centre in reaching out to all social strata in the state.

He also urged all members of the association to vote for Oyetola in the next election.

March 30, 2022
Oyetola urges Osun voters to safeguard PVC ahead of guber election

Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has urged the electorate in the state to safeguard their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the July 16 gubernatorial election in the state.

The governor made the remarks on Thursday during what was described as a “strategic tour” of Ila Federal Constituency Area of the state.

Oyetola also urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to keep their membership registration slips safe ahead of the party’s primary.

He appealed to them not to allow any individual to deceive them with ”fake loan” to steal still their PVCs from them.

“I implore you to keep the party’s registration slip issued during the accreditation exercise and your voter’s card safe.

“With the look of things, it seems that the party will opt for direct primary, if it is so, the membership slip will be used for the exercise.

“Some people want to collect your PVC and membership slip with the pretence to give you a loan.

“They are all liars, the loan that they did not give you two years ago, they are lying to give you months to the election.

“They are promising you food now, they are liars. We started our food support programme last year April and we did not stop it.

“We are not doing this because we want to get votes from you, but it is because of our genuine love for the people.

“Let us be prepared for the primary election of our party and the gubernatorial election,” he said.

In his remarks, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdul Oyedotun, said the achievements of the governor in the development of the state were enough testimonies for him to be reelected.

Oyedotun, who noted that the governor would triumph in the election, said the electorate were behind him.

“Your achievements speak for themselves and we are proud of what you have done.

“Your second term ambition will be successful and whoever tries to stand on your way, will not witness your success story.

“ Don’t despair, our ancestors were faced with travails and they emerged triumphant, you shall overcome yours too.

“Your detractors will witness your success and you will triumph over them,” the Oba said.

January 28, 2022