PDP Lauds INEC For Appealing Osun Tribunal Judgement

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for initiating processes to appeal the judgement of the Osun Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

The PDP in a statement signed by its Caretaker Chairman, Dr Adekunle Akindele, and made available to CityMirrorNews in Osogbo, on Tuesday, said the electoral umpire has lived up to the expectations of Nigerians in standing up to the defence of the country’s electoral system, expressing faith in higher courts to establish the supremacy of BVAS machines above any other source on accreditation of voters.

Dr Akindele noted that the decision of INEC has put paid to the lies being allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last few days, saying mandate usurper can only try but will not succeed.
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“We really do not want to respond to the cheap lies of the APC, as it is now obvious to the good people of Osun state, especially the voting public, that the mandate thieves are afraid of their shadows,” the statement noted.

“It is so bad that the lies that INEC will not appeal the scandalous judgement that tried to discredit BVAS machines in our elections emanated from APC lawyers, making it clear that they know the evil they perpetrated at the Tribunal can not stand.

“While the falsehood lasted, we chose not to respond because we are convinced that INEC knows better and being aware of the implication of ignoring the attack on the BVAS machines as the decision of Justice Kume did at the Tribunal, INEC has towed the right path by appealing the “Buga judgment” because if such is sustained, what will happen will be candidates who lost elections manipulating server reports and presenting same to a judge to steal election from the actual winner.”

Maintaining that the BVAS machine itself is the best evidence to prove accreditation figure in an electoral dispute, as clearly provided for in the extant Electoral Law, as against a controversial server which is only a storage unit requiring synchronisation and time to time updating, the PDP said the judgment delivered by Justice T. A. Kume was an assault on the right of the people to choose their own leaders through a free and fair electoral process.
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“To understand the extent of the injustice to Osun people, the table of scores prepared by the petitioners’ counsel was what the Tribunal Chairman lifted into the co-authored judgment even when its content was not the same with the pleading and evidence of the petitioners.

“In essence, apart from the Tribunal Chairman descending into the arena by manifesting bias and personal animosity against the person of Governor Adeleke by his Buga declaration, Justice Kume turned a Father Christmas by going outside the pleading of the petitioners to reach its decision, which is outside known laws and logic. It beats our imagination that Justice Kume would prefer a controversial and an extraneous server report over and above the real evidence presented before the Tribunal which in no way established any over-voting. This is nothing but a coup not only against Osun people but the Nigerian electorates, and we are hopeful that this injustice will not be allowed to stand by higher courts.”

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