Osun Gov’ship Election: A/Court Denies Justice Oyewole On Appeal Panel

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, has dismissed the allegation that a Judge loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was included as a member of the Osun State Governorship Election Appeal Panel.

The panel was constituted to hear an appeal seeking to reverse the majority judgment of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that sacked Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC from office and declared Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the valid winner.

Shortly after the appellate court announced its decision to commence hearing on governor Oyetola’s Appeal on Wednesday, the PDP said it uncovered that a member of the appeal panel has strong ties with the ruling party.

Specifically, PDP said it was opposed to the inclusion of Justice Joseph Oyewole as a member of the Osun State Governorship Election Appeal Tribunal.

PDP noted that Oyewole is an indigene of Osun State who it said served as a High Court Judge of Lagos State while the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, held sway as governor in Lagos.

Reacting to the allegation in a statement that was signed by the Head of Information Department at the Court of Appeal, Saadatu Musa Kachalla, Justice Bulkachuwa, said there was no truth in it.

She described the linking of Justice Oyewole to the Osun gubernatorial dispute as the handiwork of purveyors of fake news.

The president of the Court of Appeal stressed that contrary to PDP’s contention, Justice Oyewole was not included in the Osun State governorship case.

“Hon. Justice Joseph Oyewole, Justice of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, an industrious son of the Osun State, is not a Member of the the Osun Governorship Election Appeal Tribunal set up by the President of the Court of Appeal who had earlier said that the court must always put her integrity on the front burner.

“The Members of the public are therefore advised not to be misguided by desperate and jittery individuals whose action is to heat up the polity.

“Time has changed, and it is better for us to change with time. The era of fake News is over,” the statement said.