Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has ordered that all appointments of traditional rulers made by the immediate past administration of Gboyega Oyetola be put on hold.
Adeleke said the measure is to ensure strict compliance with the due process of Chieftaincy declarations and native law, custom, and tradition relating to such chieftaincies.
This order was contained in six Executive Orders of the governor issued on Monday, November 28, 2022, and made available to journalists in a statement by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.
The governor also ordered an immediate review of the Chieftaincy appointments.
“All appointments of traditional rulers made by Osun State Government after 17th July 2022, are hereby ordered to be reviewed to ensure there was strict compliance with due process of chieftaincy declarations and native law, custom, and tradition relating to such chieftaincies,” one of the orders read.
“In the case of Ikirun, Iree, and Igbajo, to avoid further breakdown of law and order, the appointments of Akinrun of Ikinrun, Aree of Ire, and Owa of Igbajo are hereby put on hold pending review. Subsequently, the palaces of Akinrun of Ikirun, Aree of Iree, and Owa of Igbajo should remain unoccupied, while security agencies are hereby ordered to take charge.”
Protests and accusations of imposition had trailed the appointments by the erstwhile administration.
Osun Tribunal Orders INEC To Produce Governor Elect Adeleke’s School Results
The Osun Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Osogbo, on Friday, November 25, 2022, ordered the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmoud Yakubu, to produce Sen. Ademola Adeleke’s results used during the 2018 governorship election in Osun.
The document tagged: “INEC Form CF001” is being demanded by Counsel for the All Progressive Congress, APC, the Petitioners.
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Tertsea Kume, gave the order in his ruling on the arguments and counter arguments by both the petitioners and the respondents’ counsel as regard the INEC Form CF001.
Kume said it would amount to denying the petitioners their right to fair hearing, after the respondent, INEC, had failed to comply with the subpoena order as regard what the petitioners were demanding for.
He said the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Mutiu Agboke, represented by one Shehu Muhammed, failed to produce the Form CF001 on the excuse that they do not have the document in their custody in the state.
The tribunal chairman said that the petitioner had shown enough grounds with regards to their application/subpoena request.
He ordered INEC Chairman to produce the document on the next date of adjournment.
Kume, therefore, adjourned the case until December 1 for further hearing.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that the Tribunal had on November 16 overruled the respondents (INEC)’s oral application seeking to discountenance a subpoena brought by the petitioner.
NAN further reports that the respondent had earlier brought an application to counter the subpoena request, before withdrawing such on personal grounds and it was struck out by the tribunal.
Osun Guber: INEC Officials Tells Tribunal That They Are Not Holding Adeleke’s Certificates
Mutiu Agboke, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, for Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Osun, says the commission is no longer in possession of Sen. Ademola Adeleke’s Form CF 001 used in the 2018 governorship election.
Recall that the tribunal had earlier granted subpoena application to the petitioners, compelling the REC to produce Adeleke’s Form CF 001.
Form CF 001 is the nomination form and all its attachments, including the certificates used in the 2018 election.
Gov. Adegboyega Oyetola and APC had on August 5 submitted a petition before the tribunal in Osogbo.
Oyetola and APC are challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state for various alleged electoral malpractice, especially over-voting.
INEC had declared Adeleke as the winner of the July 16 governorship election, having polled 403, 271 votes against 375,027 polled by Oyetola.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, in Osogbo, Counsel to the petitioners, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), reminded the tribunal of the subpoena it granted and served on REC on November 15.
Olujinmi told the tribunal that the subpoena on REC has yet to be obeyed and as such his second witness in the petition could not be called.
According to him, the testimony of the witness would be based on the said documents.
Counsel for the first respondent, INEC, Paul Ananaba, told the court that the REC had sent a representative to appear before the tribunal on the order of the subpoena.
The REC representative, Mr Sheu Mohammed, who is INEC Deputy Director on Election and Party Management, told the tribunal that the said Adeleke’s Form CF 001 was no longer with the commission in the state.
Mohammed said after the 2018 governorship election, the said documents were submitted to INEC headquarters in Abuja, adding that they only have the photocopies of the said documents in the state.
“The Form CF 001 documents was submitted to INEC headquarters through the party, but photocopies were given to us for the purpose of record.
“What we have here in the state is Form EC8A series, after the election litigation,” he said.
The petitioners’ counsel said the REC had the duty to go to INEC headquarters to obtain the said documents.
“Until your lordship discharge the subpoena, it is the duty of the REC to obey it and it remains.
“I am applying that your lordship direct INEC Chief Officer or any of his officer he may direct to produce the true certified copy of INEC Form CF 001, including all the attached documents,” he said.
But, Ananaba disagreed with the petitioners’ counsel, adding that REC could not ordered INEC headquarters to produce the said certificate.
“The subpoena is incompetent and my position is that REC has complied with subpoena.
“The representative of REC is here and REC is different from INEC.
“So, the subpoena has been complied with, because the representative of REC is here to tell the court he is not in custody of the said documents,” he said.
In his objection, Adeleke’s Counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said that since the documents requested to be produced by INEC are Certified True Copies (CTC), it could be applied and paid for, without necessarily bringing to the court.
Ikpeazu said based on the fact that the petitioners already have CTC at their disposal, they should be compelled to continue with the calling of the witnesses whose testimony hanged on the documents requested from INEC.
Also, Counsel to the third respondent, PDP, Alex Izinyon (SAN), also said that since the petitioners already have the documents in question, they should be compelled to call the witness.
After the arguments and counterarguments by the counsels, the tribunal Chairman, Justice Tertsea Kume, adjourned further hearing until November 25 to rule on the subpoena application.
Meanwhile, the second witness called by the petitioners, Rasak Adeosun, told the tribunal that there were irregularities and over voting during the election.
Adeosun, who is the Returning Officer for the petitioner in Olorunda Local Government area, while being cross examined by counsel to respondents, told the tribunal that BVAS was not used for the election in 749 polling units in 10 local government areas.
Adeosun, who is also Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Oyetola, said he received reports of the happenings in the polling units on the election day.
The witness said he discovered that there was no substantial compliance with the INEC’s guidelines and the Electoral Act in the contentious 749 polling units.
Source: ChannelsTV
