AREGBESOLA PLANNING TO DISRUPT TRIBUNAL SITTING - OISORE

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, has accused the Osun State governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, of planning to use political thugs to prevent the Election Petitions Tribunal hearing matters arising from August 9 Osun governorship election from sitting on Friday (tomorrow). Omisore’s media aide, Mr. Victor Oriola, said this in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Wednesday. The panel has shifted the adoption of written addresses by

the parties involved in the case from January 28 to Friday, January 23. Omisore claimed that Aregbesola had concluded plans to use “state boys” to pose as members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria to prevent the parties in the suit from adopting their addresses on the adjourned date. The statement read, “Series of meetings have been held in Osogbo by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress with the state standing army codenamed “state boys” to scuttle the process. “The mode of operation is for the “state boys” to pose as JUSUN members and prevent the tribunal members and lawyers from gaining access to the court premises on Friday. “This is one of the latest in the series of assaults on the judiciary by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who has come to his wits end after his witnesses failed woefully to defend the case of massive rigging preferred against him after the August 9 gubernatorial election by Senator Iyiola Omisore.

“While we sympathise with JUSUN members for the delay in implementing the autonomy for the judiciary workers by the state governors across the country, which necessitated the strike action, we also want to appeal to JUSUN not to allow its members to be dragged into partisan politics.”

However, the governor on Wednesday debunked the allegation levelled against him Omisore.

Aregbesola, in a statement made available to our correspondent by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, described the alarm raised by the opposition as an attempt to divert attention from the crime they wanted to perpetrate. He said, “We must view this as an alert to all security agencies to watch out for the PDP and its army of thugs who obviously must have concluded their plans to cause mayhem in the state. It is therefore pertinent for the security agents to be prepared to arrest anybody who causes any breach of the peace in the state under whatever guise. “The first reasonable question that the PDP and its leaders must be asked is to produce any evidence of their imaginary plot by Aregbesola, aides or any of his associates.

“To all right-thinking people, is it logical for a sitting governor to cause mayhem in his territory where he has restored and maintained peace in the last four years and more in order to engender development?

“Nigerians know the PDP for what it is: a bunch of political rascals always calculating on the next issue it can manipulate to confuse and hoodwink the people. But it is gratifying to know that Nigerians are wiser than PDP’s antics and are therefore ready always to condemn their puerile allegations into the dustbins.”