Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has rejected the inclusion of Justice Joseph Oyewole in the Osun State Governorship Election Appeal Tribunal.
Speaking at a press briefing, in Abuja, on Monday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, alleged that Justice Oyewole has strong ties with the All Progressives Congress ( APC) , which is an interested party in the appeal.
Consequently, Ologbondiyan said there is the likelihood that Justice Oyewole will be biased against the PDP and its candidate in the last Osun gubernatorial election, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
He said the opposition party has already petitioned the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa to protest the inclusion of Justice Oyewole in the appeal panel.
According to him, “Hon. Justice Oyewole (JCA) is an indigene of Osun state and he had served as a High Court Judge of Lagos state and had thus served under the administration of Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, (the national leader of the APC) while he (Tinubu) was the governor of Lagos State.
“When the seat of the Chief Judge of Osun State became vacant, some years back, upon the retirement of Hon. Justice G.O Ojo, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu insisted on having his anointed candidate, Hon Justice J.O.K Oyewole, on the Judiciary of Osun State at all cost.
” It will be recalled that it took the courageous intervention of the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Murktar to prevail that the most senior judge of Osun state judiciary should be so appointed.”
