By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has told Governor Ademola Adeleke to perish the thought of his expectation of a congratulatory message from his predecessor, Mr Gboyega Oyetola, sequel to last Friday’s decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
Adeleke, in an interview with Arise Television on Monday had stated that he was expecting a congratulatory message from Oyetola, the APC governorship candidate, in the July 16, 2023 election, following the Court of Appeal verdict.
Recall Oyetola was adjudged the winner of the election by the Justice Tertsea Kumeh-led governorship election petition tribunal, a decision reversed by the Court of Appeal, Abuja, last Friday.
Adeleke had earlier stated that he put a call to Oyetola but later denied during the interview that he never called his predecessor and that what he was expecting was that Oyetola should congratulate him.
In his response, the Osun State Acting Chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi, in Osogbo on Tuesday queried what would be the basis for Oyetola to congratulate Adeleke over an ongoing election process.
Lawal stated that there is nothing justifiable to warrant the congratulations of Adeleke by Oyetola over a subsisting election matter which is Supreme Court-bound soonest.
According to him, “I don’t understand the thinking of Adeleke. Is he saying that Oyetola should congratulate him for killing no fewer than 30 members and supporters of our party to secure his pyrrhic victory?
“If Adeleke has conscience, does he want to pretend that he wasn’t aware that his party, the PDP, turned Osun State to a killing field before, during and after the elections, the results of which he is dubiously flaunting to feign non-existing popularity and acceptability?
“Adeleke will have to wait till eternity for a congratulatory message from Oyetola whom he robbed in the daylight during the elections that were won for him by the militia wing of his administration.
“If congratulatory messages are being sold in an open market, it is not an hyperbolic expression to state that our candidate, Oyetola, cannot extend one to you for one Kobo.
“Why would a potential respondent in the Supreme Court in an extant matter demand for a congratulatory message from an appelant if not for an ulterior motive or lack of knowledge of the workings of the judicial endeavours?
“Adeleke does not merit Oyetola’s congratulatory message as it is being forcefully demanded by the governor as it is not for frivolous ventures.
“Such a request for a congratulatory message by Adeleke from Oyetola sounds funny and bizarre when it was the PDP hoodlums who invaded some of the polling units and collation centres to rig the flaunted elections which could better be described as charades, for Adeleke.
“If the demand for a congratulatory message from Oyetola is another stratagem being hatched by the PDP’s tacticians in the state, it has missed its target as there’s no way that it can fly.
“This is a follow-up to the subtle pressure being put on Oyetola not to access the Supreme Court since about three days ago which was kick-started by the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA); one charge-and-bail activist lawyer Olajengbesi; Diran Odeyemi and the expired state caretaker committee chairman of the PDP, Dr Akindele Adekunle, among other apologists of the PDP.”
Lawal told Adeleke and his co-travellers that “there is no need for them to be developing a cold feet about or phobia for the Supreme Court on the subsisting Osun governorship logjam if truly there’s no skeleton in their cupboards.”