Ambassador Toyin Akeju | credits: http://www.informationng.com

•Election of federal, state legislators now void — PDP

•They’re busybodies —APC

The Court of Appeal, Akure, Ondo State division, on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on a judgment that prevented the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ambassador Toyin Akeju, from conducting the 2011 elections in the state.

The court, presided over by Justice A. G. Mshelia, assisted by four other judges, dismissed INEC’s appeal for want of diligent prosecution.

The INEC had approached the appellate court to challenge the decision of a federal high court that restrained him from presiding over the 2011 general election.

The judgment of the lower court, delivered on March 28, 2011, was sequel to a suit brought against Akeju challenging his qualification to conduct the election.

He was accused of being a card-carrying member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and an associate of the leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu.

But dissatisfied with the ruling of the lower court, INEC approached the Court of Appeal for redress.

However, the appellate court dismissed the appeal and upheld the decision of the lower court which held that Akeju should not preside over the 2011 elections in the state.

Reactions have, however, trailed the ruling of the court of appeal

The director of PDP’s legal unit in Osun State, Mr Sunday Ojo-Williams, described the ruling as a vindication of the party’s position and a victory for democracy.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Saturday Tribune, he asserted that “by implication, all the elections conducted by Akeju into the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate have now become null and void.

“INEC had committed a grave and fundamental error by not obeying the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court in February 2011. We are now calling on the Senate President, Senator David Mark, to henceforth disallow senators from Osun State to make any comment on the floor of the National Assembly because the election which culminated in their representation had been declared null and void,” Ojo-Williams said.

While calling on the Chief Judge of Osun State to put on hold, any arrangement to swear in Governor Rauf Aregbesola for a second term, he argued that Akeju had allegedly prepared the ground for the manipulation of the August 9 governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before he proceeded on leave ahead of the August election.

Ojo-Williams, who also called on the chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, to obey the appellate court ruling on Akeju, said “we have filed a petition against the questionable victory of Aregbesola at the election petition tribunal and we will explore all means within the ambit of law stop his inauguration for a second term in office.”

But, the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC in the state, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, said: “I have not seen the judgment. It is difficult for me to comment on it. Be that as it may, Akeju has not conducted any election since 2011.

“The most important election we have had after the National Assembly election is the governorship election and Akeju did not conduct it. There is nothing special about Akeju conducting any election or not. The busybodies should just hold their peace.”

cnario:
So what does this judgement mean?

Locapito:
Osun is ur neighbour in ur monkey republic of France. Monkey like u.

Obinoscopy:
It means that INEC has two options:

1. Accept the verdict and re-conduct the 2011 legislative elections. This automatically means that the senators/reps that were elected in 2011 have lost their mandate. Also this means Osun state will not participate in 2015 legislative elections since the timetable has been altered .

boombay:
please who is osun??...,i don't know who is osun because i schooled in France