Tribunal Verdict: Osun Residents Protest In Abuja, Petition NJC

Residents of Osun State, yesterday took their continued protest to the nation’s capital, Abuja, against the judgement of the governorship election petition tribunal which sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the July 16 gubernatorial poll.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Terse Kume, sacked Governor Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.

LEADERSHIP Friday recalls that after the judgement was delivered, residents of the state and members of the PDP had trooped out en masse to vent their anger against the judgement, accusing the tribunal of injustice.

Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as: “No to Buga judgement”, “the people of Osun demand justice”, “Justice Kume is biased”, “Kume out to kill Electoral Act” among others. They said referencing personal life of the governor was not in tandem with the judicial ethics.

Speaking to journalists through their leader, Moshood Adebayo, shortly after submitting a petition to the National Judicial Commission (NJC) in Abuja, a copy of which was obtained by LEADERSHIP Friday, they called for urgent investigation of Justice Kume “for actions and activities in breach of judicial ethics and protocols”.

Adebayo said, “We write to report a judicial officer, Justice Terse Kume for his violation of all known ethical conduct and behaviours unbecoming of the esteemed office he occupies.

“As the chairman of the Osun Governorship panel, Justice Kume acted with deep bias and partiality which compels an extensive probe on his culpability.

“The Osun governorship election was a model for the nation as local and international observers affirmed it as the best election in recent Nigerian history.”

The protesters further argued that throughout the trial, the justice was consistently providing support to the petitioners “even when their counsels are failing, adjournments were ordered to ensure rectification.”

Adebayo added, “This happened in more than ten instances during the hearing of the petition. The chairman did not hide his open support for the petitioner while the trial lasted.

“The Tribunal Chairman deliberately ignored a strong appeal to caution the petitioner to stop the media trial which was clearly in contempt of the Tribunal.

The petitioners circulated judgement and table of final results the Tribunal will arrive at long before the judgement was delivered.

“Surprisingly, the Tribunal Chairman replicated in his judgement the exact tables and contents of media trial the petitioners had been pushing all along during the trial”.

They, however, called on the NJC to order a probe of how the judgement was handled due to evident signs of external influence and manipulation.

They also urged the Council to rebuke the judge for apparent partnership with the petitioners during the petition hearing which resulted in a miscarriage of justice, adding that disciplinary action should be taken against Justice Kume for violating his oath of office.