Author: oduduwanews

Senator Ademola Adeleke has been sworn in as the governor of Osun State on Sunday.

The deputy governor, Prince Kola Adewusi, was sworn in moments before Adeleke took the oath of office at the Osogbo City Stadium.

Details later.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, are en route Osun State for the inauguration of Ademola Adeleke as the next governor of the state.

Others accompanying the duo were the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and others.

Atiku shared photos of him and his entourage at Ibadan, on their way to Osun.

Details later.

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun on Saturday disclosed that his administration is leaving behind for the incoming government a total sum of N14billion cash in the State’s coffers.

Oyetola also revealed that his government had successfully paid N97billion from the total debt inherited in 2018 when he assumed office.

He disclosed that his administration didn’t borrow a dime anywhere in the world to finance the economy of the State, saying he successfully kept faith and maintained fidelity with his electoral promises since the assumption of office.

Governor Oyetola made the disclosures in his farewell statement to the people of the State, indicating the expiration of his first term in office.

Governor Oyetola was sworn in on 27th November, 2018 taking over from his predecessor, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The results of the last governorship election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) favoured Senator Ademola Adeleke, a decision that is already being challenged by Oyetola and his party — the All Progressives Congress, APC — at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Osogbo.

Oyetola in his address, averred that his administration has put Osun’s economy on a surer footing through the myriad people-centred and masses-focused projects timely and promptly implemented to make life worthwhile for the people of the State.

According to him, Osun under his watch has been stable economically as manifested in the astronomical increment in the GDP of the State since he assumed office.

Governor Oyetola affirmed that Osun is more stable economically than he met it in 2018, saying despite all the visible socio-economic challenges confronting the State with its attendant effects, he was able to take care of the fears and evil of fiscal indiscipline and lack of implementation, which hamper projects and services in the nation’s public service.

“As I step aside today following the conclusion of the four-year tenure you freely gave me, I thank God and I thank you for your support, cooperation and prayers over the years.

“I recall how the journey began four years ago; how by your belief in me and your conviction in the plans and programmes of our Party, you exercised your right to vote for me.

“As we draw the curtains on this first tenure, we are convinced that we neither reneged on our promise nor disappointed you. We kept faith with you and maintained fidelity with our electoral promises. It was our wish to continue to serve you but we are constrained by the outcomes of the July 16 Governorship election which we are already challenging in court.

“As a law-abiding citizen and government, we are stepping aside to allow the law take its course.

“However, we look forward to continue to serve you in no distant future. We have absolute trust in God that we shall be back soon, as we have implicit trust and confidence in the Judiciary to do justice in the case before it.

“We are confident that this period of temporary political eclipse shall pass. The sun shall shine again, brighter and warmer and the sustainable development and participatory governance that we enthroned, which have been applauded by local and international organizations, shall be restored and put on a surer and better footing.

“There can be no substitute to people-oriented and development-savvy governance in a democracy. The tap roots of the unprecedented good governance, inclusive and participatory governance that we introduced, which delivered massive equitable projects and programmes are too strong to be uprooted.

“As we end our first term, rest assured that Osun is more stable economically than we met it in 2018 and it remained the most peaceful state in the country under our leadership.

“For four years, we did not take any bank loan facility. But we benefitted from the N3billion monthly intervention from the federal Government to all the States for six months to cushion the effect of deductions of budget support facility and salary bailout accessed by the previous administration, just as we have paid N97 billion from the total debt we inherited in 2018.

“We are leaving behind cash of over N14 billion. In addition to the N14 billion cash, another N8 billion is being expected between December and January from our performance in SFTAS and the IGR. Also, another Seventy-Two million Dollars will come to the State soon from RAMP 3, NG-CARES, Nigeria for Women Project and Ease of Doing Business. These are earned, based on performance. And we have indeed performed to earn them. It was part of the same performance that earned us the award of Best Governor on Efficiency of Public Expenditure and TOP Performer on Domestic Revenue Mobilisation by the World Bank’s States’ Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability, SFTAS, recently.

“We have gone this length to let you know that Osun under our leadership was sustainable. It was done through fiscal discipline and personal sacrifices.

“On behalf of our team, I appeal to you all to continue to be law abiding and to work assiduously to build the Osun of our dream. Together, we shall continue to mend the broken walls of our dear State and restore her glory for our collective good and that of posterity. Thank you all and may God continue to bless Osun,” Oyetola added.

Osun State Election Petition Tribunal has issued a fresh order, directing the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to produce the Certificates and other documents of the state Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke used in the 2018 governorship election.

The order followed the failure of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the commission to produce the certificates in the previous sitting in compliance with the Subpoena issued on the commission.

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola is challenging the declaration of Adeleke as Governor-elect by the INEC.

At its resumed sitting on Friday, the tribunal, Chaired by Justice Tertsea Kume ruled that the mere appearance of the representative of REC has not answered the Subpoena on the commission to produce the documents.

In the ruling, the tribunal said an application for Subpoena is in Administrative Act and when it is granted, it becomes Judicial Act and the party upon which the Subpoena is issued must comply, citing Section 218 and 219 of the evidence act.

It ruled: “An order of the court is bound to be complied with by the party upon which it was made until it is set aside by the court. In the instant case the order has not been complied with.”

The tribunal further held that the request by the respondents that the petitioners should continue with the calling of the witness whose testimony is hanged on the Adeleke’s credentials was baseless, as the petitioners has the absolute prerogative on how to conduct their case.

The panel said the application was consequent to the failures of the state REC of the commission to produce the documents requested in the Subpoena.

According to the ruling, the Petitioners’ have shown sufficient reasons for the tribunal to compel the the National Chairman of INEC to produce the documents in question.

It then dismissed all the objections raised by the counsel for INEC, Adeleke and PDP and compelled the National Chairman of the commission to produce the documents in the next sitting of the panel on Thursday, December 1.

Counsel for the Petitioners, Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, described the ruling as a well researched one, saying it would go a long way in serving the course of justice in the hearing of the petition.

Addressing journalists shortly after the proceedings, Chief Olujinmi, said the court has done the right thing for reordering INEC to produce the requested documents containing Adeleke’s certificates.

He added: “The respondents, as we said during the last sitting, didn’t want to produce that document and that was why we had to argue at length to persuade the tribunal to reorder, which they eventually made today.

“The effect of this is that the INEC is now under a binding obligation to produce these documents at the next appearance in court on Thursday December 1st, 2022,” he added.

Counsel for INEC, Professor Paul Ananaba, SAN also conceded that they were ready now to follow the order of the court by producing the requested documents.

The Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital, has nullified the just concluded local government election conducted in Osun State.

The local government poll was conducted on Saturday, October 15, 2022, by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) under the Chairmanship of Segun Oladitan.

Justice Ayo-Nathaniel Emmanuel of Federal High Court Osogbo on Friday had declared the local government election as illegal, null and void.

He also added that the election was not conducted in consonance with the Electoral Act of 2022.

He also ordered the local government chairmen and councillors who were sworn in after the election to vacate Local Government Secretariats and offices with immediate effect.

Reacting to the court judgment, the Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stated that its activism against the illegality of the outgoing administration of Adegboyega Oyetola has been vindicated.

In a statement signed by Akindele Adekunle, the Osun caretaker chairman of the party, lamented that about N1.5 billion naira that has been deployed for workers’ welfare was wasted by the Oyetola’s administration for the conduct of the election in addition to several millions of naira illegally paid as salaries and allowances to fake council chiefs.

“We had warned against holding that fake selection they called election. We had cited all relevant legal authorities to convince OSIEC to back out of the undemocratic scheme. The Commission Chairman who himself is a lawyer decided to act against clear provisions of the law to supervise this crudely executed lawlessness.

“This judgement is an affirmation of the correctness of many alerts we have issued in recent times. The outgoing Governor had deliberately committed a lot of infractions and lawlessness. We will deploy all legal means to correct the anomalies in compliance with public service rules, extant laws and the constitution of the republic,” the party leader stated.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, has been lambasted by Nigerians who were shocked over a statement he made at Port Harcourt where he expressed his joy on Thursday that the Governor of his (Oyo) state, Seyi Makinde, had continued to support Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers in the coalition of five governors, now known as the Integrity Group.

Many people have taken to Twitter to condemn what they termed ‘judicial rascality on the part of the Chief Judge who according to them should not be partisan.

The group of five include Governors Wike, Makinde of Oyo state, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state.

They have been at daggers drawn with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, accusing him of reneging on his alleged promise to ensure that if both the party’s standard bearer and National Chairman, now Iyorchia Ayu, emerged from the same region, the chairman would be forced to resign.

The quintet has refused to either endorse or support the campaigns of PDP’s Atiku, maintaining that for peace to return to the opposition party, Ayu must go.

But aside backing Makinde’s membership of the group, Ariwoola, joked that Makinde was being held to ransom by Wike by threatening to withdraw his sister (Makinde’s wife), who he said is from the South-south state, from the Oyo governor.

“That is why we should not be scared to have these men of the integrity group and I am happy that my own governor is among because he would try to imitate his friend and in-law because we came here to marry for my governor.“So, Governor Wike will always threaten that he will call back his sister if my governor fails to play ball. That is why you see him following his Excellency (Wike) because my governor is afraid of his wife being recalled,” he joked.

He acknowledged the presence of the group of five governors at the gala night and judiciary project inauguration which held in Rivers, stressing that they had been similarly present when Makinde held a reception to celebrate his appointment as CJN some months ago.