As the Osun State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) threatened to go to the law court if anomalies are detected in the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the just concluded governorship election in the state, Osun State Election Petition Tribunal on Monday said that panel that would entertain the complainants had been constituted and Registry has been opened since before the election day.
Also, Election Tribunal Hall within the Judiciary Complex while other logistics including speakers and chairs had been arranged for potential litigation while all necessary arrangements had been made by the tribunal body to receive complaints from the aggrieved ones.
Speaking on the constitution in an interview in Osogbo, Secretary to the Tribunal, David Umar Dike, remarked that, “The registry is open for business.
“We have not received anything yet for now and they (aggrieved candidates) have 21 days from the day of declaration of results in which to file any grievance they have with the results declared. They (INEC) declared on Sunday and we are counting. That’s the position for now.”
“The law provides 21 days from the day the election results were declared (Sunday) for candidates to approach the Tribunal with complaints or petitions.”
“Anyone who wants to submit any compliant should come to the Osun State Judiciary Complex and ask for Registry of the Election Petition.
“Within this 21 days, if anything is filed, sitting will commence because whatever is filed, my Lords will have to be here (Tribunal Hall in Osogbo) and determine whatever it is that will be brought before the court.
“Usually, the first thing to be filed is exparte. They will come and take the exparte and the work continues.”
However, investigations into the State Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the High Court of Justice, Osogbo revealed that all is set by the body to swing into action the moment petition and complaints are received from the aggrieved parties.
The body in its notice board said, “this is to inform the general public that the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the High Court of Justice Complex, Osogbo is open business.
“For purposes of filing election petitions or any other process, kindly contact the secretary of the Tribunal.”
It will be recalled that the All Progressive Congress (APC) legal team said it has started working on a legal process and that the services of hired senior advocates in the legal profession and that of the legal icons in the state would be engaged to challenge the PDP’s victory in court if anomalies are detected in the results announced by INEC on the outcome of the just concluded governorship election in the state.
Already, the legal team is said to have started with the thorough scrutiny of some results from the polling units with intention of challenging them in court if irregularities are discovered at the end of the day.
In a chat with our reporter, the Director-General of Oyetola’s Campaign Organisation, Senator Ajibola Basiru, confirmed the development and affirmed that they are heading to court but before that time, they want to do all their legal framework.
When asked whether APC would challenge the result in court, he said, definitely, but, we want to thoroughly examine the outcome of the results from one polling unit to the other to ascertain how to approach the case.
The legal luminary who hinted that in no distant time, they would forward a letter to the electoral body to demand certified true copies of result sheets for them to compare with the ones signed by polling agents, said, he would reserve further comments on the matter until they are through with the preliminary legal work.
He stressed that it was the step they are taking that had prevented them from passing comments on the outcome of the election results announced by INEC.
Senator Basiru further argued that the APC has seasoned and competent lawyers that would be engaged in the exercise and that, there would be no cause for alarm on the bold step they have taken.
Meanwhile, Prince Duran Odeyemi, one of Senator Ademola Adeleke’s media aides alleged that some APC leaders had been moving around the local government offices of the commission to liaise with the INEC officials who would tamper with some election materials kept in their custody.
Adeleke called on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to direct the commission’s officials in Osun to submit all electoral materials to the state headquarters.
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