Osun: I’m still governor, says Oyetola

•Inspects projects

Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the weekend said he remained the duly elected governor regardless of Friday’s judgment of the Election Petition Tribunal.

Oyetola enjoined the public to disregard the insinuations that he had been sacked, saying he was confident of retaining his mandate at the appellate court.

He spoke yesterday while inspecting some on-going road and drainage projects in Osogbo, the state capital.

The Governor said the outcome of the lower court didn’t in anyway affect the validity of the votes freely and willingly given to him by the people of the state.

He said since the Constitution allowed him to file an appeal against the judgment, he remained the legitimate governor of the state.

The governor said: “I am confident that our mandate will be reaffirmed at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

“As you all know, it was a split judgment, telling us that it was not a unanimous decision. This is part of our strength at the Appellate Court

“I must correct the impression that I have been removed from office I remain the governor of Osun till all the electoral litigations are finalized.

“So, my visit to this site is in furtherance of our commitment to ensure a better life for all residents of the state and to demonstrate that governance brought about by our government continues”, he said.

Oyetola who had earlier received the leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Government House and assured the teeming supporters of the party that he would come victorious at the end of the electoral litigation.

He called on the party loyalists to remain calm and expressed confidence in the judiciary to deliver justice as it remained the ‘hope for a common man’”

He told the people of the state and supporters of APC not to panic over the Friday judgement. Speaking while addressing supporters and members of the APC in Osun State, who paid a solidarity visit to him at the Government House yesterday, he reiterated his commitment to the development of the state, saying nothing would deter him from providing dividend of democracy to every nooks and crannies of the state.

He expressed gratitude for the solidarity visit, and assured them that there was nothing to panic about the ruling.

Describing the judgement of the tribunal as a ‘split judgment of two against one’, he said with God by his side he would become victorious.

He said: “I want to appeal to our people to remain calm with the judgement of the Tribunal. I want to appreciate you for identifying with me over yesterday’s verdict. Well, it was a split judgement of two of one and it’s not unanimous.”

He expressed confidence in the judiciary despite the judgement of the three-man election petition tribunal that declared his major contender, Adeleke, the winner of the September 22, 2018 governorship poll.

In a state broadcast, the governor said: “I address you this day to inform you that in response to the judgment of the Osun Governorship Election Tribunal, sitting at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Friday, the 22nd day of March, 2019, we have gone on appeal to challenge the split decision of the Tribunal.

“This split decision notwithstanding, our confidence in the judiciary remains unshaken, which is why we are going back to it for necessary review through the Appellate Court.”

Meanwhile, APC in Osun State yesterday urged the Police and other security agencies to disregard claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  that the ruling party planned to unleash mayhem in the state.

The APC branded the PDP claim a false alarm.

“The notorious gang of violent acts in Osun are the PDP thugs, who when they break loose on streets and localities leave a trail of blood and tears. These people have been notorious for violence since 2003”, the APC director of publicity, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said in a statement.

According to him, “Whatever violence the PDP leadership is falsely accusing the APC of plotting is actually what the PDP itself must have worked out to unleash on the peaceful people of Osun, consistent with that party’s own trademark.”

The APC argued that it had no incentive for violence over the verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja because there are “credible options for redress in both the court of appeal and the Supreme Court.

Oyatomi added:”Our party is intelligent enough to know that it remains in power at Abere until the Supreme Court decides otherwise. So, why should we be planning violence against our own people?’