July 5: As It Was For Aregbesola May Be For Adeleke - Politics

July 5: As It Was For Aregbesola May Be For Adeleke - Politics - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum › Nairaland General › Politics › July 5: As It Was For Aregbesola May Be For Adeleke (811 Views)

July 5: As It Was For Aregbesola May Be For Adeleke by soyoyeakinyode(op): 6:29am On Jul 01, 2019

JULY 5: AS IT WAS FOR AREGBESOLA MAY BE FOR ADELEKE

As we await July 5, an attempt to digg into what might be the outcome of the Supreme Court Judgement on Osun 2018 governorship election, brought the 2010 Appeal Court Judgment on Osun 2007 governorship election under critical examination. The judgement declared former Governor Rauf Aregbesola winner of the election sacking Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola who was initially declared winner by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, a forensic analysis of the circumstances that paved way for former Governor Rauf Aregbesola's victory in 2010, have shown that same circumstances are presently on ground to play decisive role in determining who will be declared winner of Osun 2018 governorship election on July 5.

Declearing Ogbeni Aregbesola winner, the Appeal Court In the judgment read for about five hours by Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi affirmed, INEC did not conduct the election in accordance to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in accordance with the Electoral Act. In the same vein, Osun 2018 Governorship tribunal judgement that confirmed Sen. Adeleke winner, affirmed that Mr Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on September 22 and the rerun that INEC devised to reach a final conclusion a week later was illegal, an allegation INEC did not refute.

Also, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola was declared winner after the Appeal Court annulled election held in 10 local governments saying that the allegations against the election in the 10 disputed local government areas were valid and genuine. Having nullified the election held in Boripe, Atakumosa, Ayedaade, Boluwaduro, Ife Central, Ife East, Ife South, Ifedayo, Isokan, Odo Otin, local governments Areas, the court resolved that Aregbesola won the election by 198,799 votes against 172,880 lawfully ascribed to Oyinlola. Clearly, a replica of this judgment came to play in the Judgment of tribunal as the three-member panel said during its ruling in Abuja that the rerun election that held on September 27, 2018, was illegal. The tribunal, therefore, deducted the votes scored by the candidates at the rerun in polling units in Oyere in Ife-North, one polling unit in Olode in Ife-South, another polling unit in Osi, Ife-South, three polling units in Orolu, Kajola Local Government Area of the state and one polling unit in Osogbo. The tribunal therefore resolved that the PDP candidate won the election.

Without any equivocation, Justice Ogunbiyi declared Aregbesola the winner of the election in line with section 197 of the constitution and 147 Electoral Act. These legal reservations also played out at the tribunal that declared Sen. Adeleke winner of the governorship election.

Finally, as we look forward to July 5, the constitutional provisions of section 179, subsection (2)a,b which brought former Governor Aregbesola into office in 2010 as Governor of Osun State is still in place and potent. The onus however, is on the Judiciary to determine who this constitutional provisions favours as in the case of Osun 2018 Governorship Election.