Outburst Over Alleged Plot By Oyetola To Remain In Power Through The Backdoor

 

THERE are allegations that Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is scheming to retain the governorship seat through backdoor after losing the July 16 governorship election in the State of Osun. 

Oyetola was defeated by the Governor-Elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, who polled 403,371 against the governor’s 375,027 votes. 

However, there were reports that Oyetola had allegedly reached out to the aggrieved governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Omooba Dotun Babayemi, and instigated him to approach Supreme Court on his litigation against the primary election that produced Adeleke as the candidate of the party. 

Babayemi is seeking an order of the court to nullify the primary that produce Adeleke and declare the factional primary that produced him as valid to make him the real governorship candidate of the party. 

The Appeal Court had last Thursday dismissed Babayemi’s case, a situation that brought relief to the party. 

Between Friday and Tuesday, there were reports from the PDP camp that Oyetola had approached Babayemi and encouraged him to appeal the judgment at Supreme Court. 

Oyetola’s motive, according to the PDP loyalists, was to get the Supreme Court to nullify both PDP’s primaries held on March 29, this year and by that, he would be the beneficiary of the judgment being the second winner in the governorship election. 

OSUN DEFENDER gathered that Babayemi has moved to the Supreme Court on Monday for final determination of the suit. 

The PDP, in a press statement signed by its Caretaker Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, accused Babayemi of being a tool of the APC to truncate Adeleke’s victory. 

According to Adekunle, Babayemi was expected to stop further legal action if truly he is a genuine member of the party after Adeleke’s victory.

The statement reads in part, “The party specifically frowned at apparent attempt by the aspirant to become a tool of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to truncate the overwhelming victory of PDP at the governorship poll, declaring that such treachery is an exercise in futility.

“The party described as worrisome Babayemi’s refusal to listen to calls by elders of his group who urged him to discontinue legal challenge on Osun PDP primary, reminding him that he is increasingly emerging as an instrument of a defeated governor who is struggling to come to term with his crushing defeat at the poll.

“While the aspirant had filed several cases and failed to upturn due process decision of the party, the party noted that the last ruling of the Court of Appeal should put paid to further litigation on the primary, warning that any decision to pursue the issue further will smack of open anti-party activity and a direct disrespect for the people of Osun state who voted massively for Senator Ademola Adeleke.

“The party hinted that a very dangerous and self-destructive dimension is the emerging alleged collaboration between Babayemi and the APC to continue the primary case, affirming that such evil alliance will end in further legal defeat as the aspirant has no strong legal basis for his many litigations.

“We are therefore constrained to call on Babayemi to toe the path of honour and embrace the overwhelming choice of Osun people. Any hope of stealing people’s mandate for Senator Ademola Adeleke through the backdoor is a venture doomed from conception. Enough is enough.”

Reacting to the PDP statement, Babayemi’s Campaign Organisation stated that the redress currently being sought at the Supreme Court is not to truncate Adeleke’s victory but to ensure it translates to good governance.

The organisation, in a press statement issued on Tuesday by its director, Mr. Oladiran Ojedele, insisted that Babayemi was out for justice with a view to claiming his mandate.

According to the organisation, having explored all internal mechanisms of the party to no avail, the option left as spelt by the party’s constitution is to seek justice through the judiciary, adding that nothing would deter Babayemi from pursuing a legitimate cause.

The statement reads, “Our symbol, Omooba Dotun Babayemi is not seeking to truncate PDP’s victory but he’s out for justice, seeking to claim his mandate at the law court. Is such a lawful trajectory out of place? For all those who are now crying wolf, what genuine efforts did they make to ensure the PDP is not exposed to litigation?

“We would like to inform the whole world that Omooba Dotun Babayemi has continued to pursue the good of the PDP at every level of engagements; he has continued to invest his time and money for its success and the good of the people of Osun.”

The outfit further noted that all concessions made by the Babayemi’s group to achieve the desired peace before the governorship election were rebuffed by the Ademola Adeleke group.

“In any democratic setting, winner-takes-all syndrome has always been harmful in the long run.

“When Eyitayo Jegede-led Reconciliation Committee came, we laid our cards bare open. At a point, Babayemi offered to forego his governorship ambition if the other group was willing to come to the table with genuine intent to partner with both sides. The effort at reconciliation was rebuffed and rejected. As a matter of fact, no one begs to be enrolled for servitude”, the organization added. 

Speaking on the alleged plot by Oyetola to retain the governorship seat through back, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Chief Sunday Akere, said the governor was not conspiring with anybody on the governorship position. 

Akere said, “We don’t have anything to do with the PDP matter. Have we ever been involved in their internal crisis? Was Babayemi in the governorship contest? The PDP are afraid of their own shadow. We don’t have anything to do with whatever crisis they have in their party.

“However, we are resolute that justice will prevail at the end of the day. We don’t have anything to do with Dotun Babayemi. It is their internal crisis and they can resolve it if they want.”