LG Crisis: Stop Misinforming AGF With Reinstatement Judgement – Adeleke’s Commissioner Tells APC

The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi has called on All Progressive Congress, APC, and its Yes/No Chairmen and Councillors not to misinform the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi with the assumed reinstatement judgement.

This is as the Alimi pointed out that there were two cases initiated against the APC, from the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, and Action Peoples Party, APP, and the two cases/judgement were not consolidated as one, but ruled on separately.

Alimi, who at the Media Chat with Osun Online Publishers Association, OOPA, narrated the genesis of the Yes or No election of APC former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola led administration, stated that in 2021 and early 2022, former governor Oyetola did not conduct election, and having lost the governorship election, he then decided to conduct the election, between July and November, about 4 months to the expiration of his tenure.

“As against the stipulated law, he gave notice of 60 days but the law as as today requires 360 days, thereby making the Yes/No election unlawful, as there is no court that will validate the unlawful breach of law.”

He postulated that, “because the Oyetola government wanted to put his stooges in the position of the local government chairman and councillors before he left office, was reason he gave 60 days notice, adding that all the political parties except APC said they will not participate in the election.

“On the 2022 local government election where the ballot paper was yes or no, the people refused to vote for them, and APC was the one who contested against itself, and voted itself in the illegal election organised by them.

“However apart from the 17 political parties in the state then, two political parties took a step further by going to court over the Yes/No election, the two political parties: People’s Democratic Party PDP and Action People’s Party APP, filed their suit separately, challenging the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, OSSIEC, under Otunba Olusegun Oladuntan leadership.

According to the Commissioner for Information, “in the two suits filed by PDP and APP, APC was never part of those who filed the suits, they came later to join the suits separately, on their own, as the two cases were held by the courts of law separately, and nobody applied for consolidation of
the two cases.

“The APP case was different from that of the PDP case, the two cases were never joined, the two judgments were delivered separately.”

He said, “the judgment on the case filed by PDP was struck out because of incompetent originating summon, because they went to court before the official publication of the announcement date for election while on the part of the APP they waited until the election date was officially published before they went to court, and the court granted their prayers and annuled the Yes/No election, as well as the beneficiary of the yes or no election, who were sent packing by the federal high court of law.”

Speaking further he stressed, that the APC identified the lacuna in the PDP suits and appealed on it, that since the court has struck out the case, then their Yes/No chairmen and councillors should be reinstated according to their 4th prayer in the appeal, but the APC did not appeal the APP judgement which voided their illegal Yes/No election.

“The APC knew that they would not get a judgment against the APP because they didn’t appeal it as at when due, but they know that they have appeal for the incompetent originating summon on the jurisdiction of the court on the case fight by the PDP, so they abandoned the judgment by APP, and wrapped Illegality around the PDP judgement.

“The Attorney General of the federation would have been correct on his remark assuming there is no other judgment, his remarks is right on the PDP judgment, but he didn’t talk about the existing judgement on the APP Case, he needs to put this into consideration.

The Commissioner for Information stated that Osun State government have formally forwarded all the documents relating to the two cases to AGF, to stop misinformation being fed to him, the documents are for him to peruse and interpret the judgments accurately.

“If it was only a case by the PDP that existed against APC, in the eye of the law PDP suit has been struck out, hence the Attorney General would have been correct on that alone, but there is another judgment that strike how the illegality of the APC election, hence no reinstatement.

“We are waiting for the AGF to review the cases, as we have formally forwarded to him, and then we know what next to do from there, but we are so sure that having read all, he will understand that the APC were playing illegality about the Yes or No election they conducted in 2022.”

“The APP case is about the judgment in existence against the APC Yes or No election, the APC did not appeal the APP judgment, and the Supreme Court plethora of appeals states that when a court case has been strike out you have the right to appeal the case, but if you don’t take the judgment of the right of appeal, then that judgment has the finality of the supreme court, because it is not about the party who filled the case, but the benefit which the judgement gives to the people.

“There is no need for APC to be promoting illegality, misleading the people and trying to force themselves into position cos’ they are the government in power at the federal level, because if they had prosecuted their appeal, the court of Appeal would have consolidated the two judgment and give judgment against them, but they knew that if the APP judgement gets to the court of Appeal, the judgment will be against them that’s why they are trying to hide.”

The Commissioner who cautioned the APC against Illegality said, “APC had the right of appeal, but the moment they choose not to appeal the APP case, that means they have accepted the supreme court judgement, that declared the Yes/No election null and void.”

The Commissioner reiterated that Osun government under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke will not breach the law, and it will always have the interest of the good people of Osun state at heart.