The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun has faulted the use of the popular ‘Buga’ lyric by the Tertsea Kume-led Election Petition Tribunal which ousted Ademola Adeleke as the elected governor of the state in its judgement. 

“Even if the judgement was waybilled to him as we suspected by his petitioner collaborators, he should have disguised and exercised some restraints by expunging the foul languages obviously written for him in local parlance of Buga lyrics to disrespect an elected governor.

“He shouldn’t have gone so low, low, low!,” Akindele Adekunle, the Osun PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman, said on Saturday in a statement. 

On Friday, the three-man election petition tribunal led by Mr Kume sacked Mr Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party, and declared former Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election held on July 16, 2022.

In its verdict delivered by Mr Kume, the tribunal upheld that the July 16, 2022 governorship election did not comply with the Electoral Act, noting that there was overvoting in six local government areas in Osun. 

The judgment has since led to a protest among supporters and members of the PDP in the state, with many of them rejecting the decision of the tribunal. 

Speaking further in the statement, Mr Adekunle said the choice of words by Mr Kume was unethical and should not have come from a judicial officer of such repute. 

He specifically described the tribunal judgement as a ‘booby trap’ set against Nigeria’s democracy. 

“What more, the premeditated stance of the tribunal chairman was clearly demonstrated in his side of the stalemate with his choice of words which we considered unethical, disrespectful and unbecoming of a judicial officer of such standing.

“The judgement to say the least, was a booby trap set against the very existence and survival of our already strained democracy,” he said. 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared Mr Adeleke the winner of the governorship election, having polled 403, 271 votes against 375,027 polled by Mr Oyetola.

Recall that the immediate past governor of the state, Mr Oyetola’s had challenged INEC’s declaration.

On August 5, 2022, Mr Oyetola filed a petition before the Tribunal in Osogbo challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas, alleging electoral malpractices, especially over-voting.

The full statement below reads: 

We are here gathered today to express our reservations against the  controversial and mixed judgement of the election petition tribunal in Osun State.

The judgement to say the least, was a booby trap set against the very existence and survival of our already strained democracy. 

Our party takes exception to the  blanket rubbish of recent innovations introduced into the electoral process through the 2022 amended electoral act, as passed by the national assembly and assented to by President Mohamadu Buhari.

That the use of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System used as primary tool in the election which was made to look useless and immaterial in the adjudication process by Mr Tertse Kumeatas led stalemated judgement was anti-climax of sort in a country barely surviving on thin line of shrinking perseverance.

Our party had always suspected Mr Tertse Kumeata’s conduct in the course of hearing of the petition. Most times, the Benue State born controversial arbiter would get lost and get himself overwhelmed with his bias tendencies and enter the role of lead counsel to the petitioner, arguing points for them like a hired mercenary, even when it was obvious the hired counsels for the petitioner had lost their way. 

This reckless abuse of privilege got to a head when Mr Tartse had to step down hearing twice for the APC lead counsel to adjust and regain himself when the latter got lost in traffic of trying to adumbrate white as black in their final written address.

What more, the premeditated stance of the tribunal chairman was clearly demonstrated in his side of the stalemate with his choice of words which we considered unethical, disrespectful and unbecoming of a judicial officer of such standing.

Even if the judgement was waybilled to him as we suspected by his petitioner collaborators, he should have disguised and exercised some restraints by expunging the foul languages obviously written for him in local parlance of Buga lyrics to disrespect an elected governor. He shouldn’t have gone so low, low, low! 

This is more so, when he’s expected not to be too carried away or in the least, to be aware that his warped position was a mere starting point in the legal tussle in this context as provided in our extant laws.

For us as a party, we understand the desperation of those behind the jankara judgement. We understand the trap they tried to set against the BVAS innovation in our electoral system. We understand the desperation goes beyond the Osun election or Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke. 

The evil plot is ultimately against the coming general election where in their usual fraudulent habit, millions of voter cards have either been cloned, registered with ghost names and are being made ready to be deployed especially for the presidential election, in which they could smell their total rejection far ahead of time. 

In this wise and in their fraudulent anticipation, the use of BVAS machine must be discredited and rendered impotent ahead  of their planned invasion of the electoral field with their fraudulent antics. However ladies and gentlemen,  this is a battle they cannot win!

The experience in Osun calls for eternal vigilance of  Nigerians. Nigerians from far and near must be vigilant because the poll robbers are not resting and are not even hiding it. They are on the streets boasting already with their trade to circumvent the process against popular choice of Nigerians. This we must all fight or the nation is doomed in their hands.

The most disturbing aspect is that they have collaborators and willing accomplices everywhere. Either in the Election management body, security or even the hallowed temple of justice like the Buga exponent, who have got drenched in his bias disposition to dare all consequences to deliver an absurdity of judgement, which was washed down his face alternately by his bench mate. 

Nigerians must be ready just as we are ready for them in Osun State. They will not win this time. There should be an end to exploits of minority crooks in our land. 

In the meantime, we call on the good people of our dear state, to be calm in steadfastness. They should be calm but be ready to defend their mandate with us. The bandits will not win when we move as one.

I thank you for your attention.

Dr Akindele Adekunle

Osun State PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman

28/01/2023