A non-Governmental organisation – Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has applauded the Osun state governorship election petition Tribunal for restoring faith in the judiciary as the last hope of the common man by returning the candidate of the opposition political party- Peoples Democratic Party Senator Ademola Adeleke as winner of the September 27th poll.
HURIWA stated that the current administration had carried out systematic attacks against the judiciary using all sorts of backhand tactics and illegally deploying the Department of state services (DSS); and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and lately the Code of Conduct Tribunal that illegally granted an ex parte order that unconstitutionally unseated the Chief justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen all in attempts to cow the judges and get them to always give choreographed verdicts in favour of the party in power at the center. The Rights group said the judgment by the Election Tribunal was reassuringly bold and is in compliance with rule of law.
HURIWA recalled that the Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal had earlier declared Ademola Adeleke of the PDP as the winner of the controversial state election just as the tribunal also declared the September 27 rerun election in the state illegal.
HURIWA recalled that the three-man panel of the Tribunal gave the judgment on Friday following the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleka against the All Progressives Congress, APC and
its candidate, Gboyega
Oyetola.
Besides, HURIWA recalled that the Tribunal also ruled that PDP and Adeleke proved that it was the state Returning Officer who cancelled the results in seven Polling Units, adding that the petitioners also proved that the Returning Officer has no power to cancel election results of a polling unit.
HURIWA has therefore asked that the rightful winner of the Osun State governorship poll as declared by the Tribunal be sworn in immediately and the impostor be dethroned to halt further perpetuation of illegality since he is occupying the office of governor of Osun state fraudulently.
