Though the Court of Appeal in Ibadan has reserved its judgment in the appeal by the governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregebesola, against the election of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, what stakeholders want from the appellate court is justice, writes TONY AMOKEODO.
BY the time the appellate court delivers its much expected judgment in Aregbesola‘s appeal against Oyinlola‘s election, the verdict will definitely have a far-reaching effect on both parties. Never before in the history of resolving election disputes in this country has there existed this unusual expectation from Nigerians; looking up to the appellate court to correct what the two election petitions tribunals sitting in Osun State failed to do in a governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission on April 14, 2007.
To observers, it is a sad commentary on the nation’s judicial system that the appellate court is about to make a pronouncement on whether or not Oyinlola, the incumbent governor from the Peoples Democratic Party, actually won the disputed governorship poll in the state, few months to his exit from the Government House in Osogbo.
Controversy has, however, trailed the verdicts of the first and second tribunals that upheld the election of Oyinlola which prompted Aregbesola to approach the appellate court on two different occasions for redress.
INEC had on April 14, 2007 declared Oyinlola winner of the Osun governorship poll with 422,666 votes, saying that Aregbesola of the ACN scored 240,722 votes.
But Aregbesola had faulted INEC‘s results and on May 11, 2007, filed a petition before the first Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Osogbo and urged the tribunal to hold that votes returned in Atakumosa West Local Government, Ayedaade Local Government, Boluwaduro Local Government, Boripe Local Government, Ede North Local Government, Ife Central Local Government, Ife East Local Government, Ife South Local Government, Ifedayo Local Government, Isokan Local Government, Odo - Otin Local Government and Ola Oluwa Local Government, did not represent lawful votes cast in the election
He also claimed that the results were obtained in vitiating circumstances of substantial non-compliance with mandatory the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2006, violence and malpractices which substantially affected the validity of the said election.
Read More:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101115222978
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