Osun Poll: Omisore Heads For Tribunal

Senator Iyiola Omisore, the defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the Saturday, August 9, 2014 polls in Osun state on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome of the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to Omisore, he would file his petition at the election tribunal on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 which comes on the heels of a defection of John Abolarinmwa Abidoye, the Osun state legal adviser of the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, August 26, 2014

In a press release, signed by Victor Oriola, spokesman to Omisore and dated Tuesday, August 26, 2014, the former senator said that he has decided to challenge the outright attempt to subvert the wishes of the citizenry who he claimed came out in their numbers to show support for their “Rescue Mission Campaign”.

Thisday reports;

He stressed that  “after a comprehensive review of the processes leading to the announcement of the outcome of the August 9 gubernatorial election in Osun State, we are convinced that there were massive irregularities and monumental fraud perpetrated by the Mr. Rauf Aregbesola-led APC in the state.”

Omisore contended that “in our effort, we are mindful of the massive investment in deceit-driven propaganda unleashed on the citizens of Osun State by the APC. This, they hope will distract attention from how electoral heist was perpetrated by Aregbesola and his colleagues long before the elections and the deployment of O-YES cadets as election officers to compromise the valid votes of the good people of Osun State.”

He opined that Omisore was committed to ensuring  that scientific rigging of elections in Osun State, and indeed in Nigeria are both exposed and reversed.

Oriola also noted that Omisore  legal team would reveal shocking graphic details of per-election rigging led by the leadership of the APC who had directed that all its officers relocate to Osun State before the election in addition to the subversive roles the ubiquitous officers played in the election as they compromised some INEC officials.

Meanwhile,  Abidoye, as at the time of his defection  yesterday, was the Secretary of the PDP’s Legal Committee, the committee saddled with the responsibilities of compiling the party’s petition on the August 9 governorship election.

Abidoye hinged his crossover to the APC on the outstanding performance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is striving diligently to reposition the so as for it to be ranked among the comity of states in the country.
He said the result of August 9 governorship election in the state was a true reflection of the peoples’ wishes and aspiration.

According to the new entrant, the people spoke with one voice across the state, saying they wanted continuity under Aregbesola.

He stated that Aregbesola’s government is government of the people, saying there was nothing to be afraid about Omisore’s petition as the PDP had been boasting it would reclaim victory through the tribunal.

However, ahead of the filing of the petition by the PDP, the APC through its lawyers, have approached the Election Petition Tribunal with an application to inspect, make copies and conduct manual and forensic examination of election materials used for the governorship election.

The application, brought through motion ex parte, was filed by its National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire and other legal practitioners including ‘Kunle Adegoke, AbdulRahman Okunade and M.A. Okunade. In the application, the APC is seeking the following reliefs from the tribunal:

•Leave and order of the tribunal allowing the application to be moved outside the pre-hearing session.
•Leave and order of the tribunal permitting the applicant’s agents, for purpose of defending a petition, to take certified true copies and conduct manual/physical inspection of all electoral materials to wit, Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C, EC8D, EC8E, EC40A, EC40B, EC40C, EC40F, EC40G, EC25, EC25B (Electoral Material Receipt), EC1A, EC60, INEC list and codes of the polling units, wards and local government areas in the state, Voters’ Registers of all the electorate in Osun State, Form EC17 (oath/affirmation of neutrality), Stubs of ballot papers used, Used and Unused ballot papers, EC25 series,

The party also asked for all form EC60E, rejected ballot papers, tendered ballot papers, actual ballot papers recorded as spoilt, list of the polling agents in the conduct of the August 9 in the election.

Also the list of all ad hoc staff engaged by the INEC all polling documents and materials used for the conduct of the governorship election in the state on August 9 in all the local government areas.