Osun Poll: Court Fixes August 27 for Judgment on Suit against Omisore

The Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo, the state capital will on August 27, 2018 deliver judgment on the suit challenging Senator Iyiola Omisore’s candidature under the platform of the Social Democratic Party ( SDP) in the forthcoming September 22, 2018 governorship election in the state.

After listening to all the arguments by the counsel, representing both the plaintiffs and the defendants in the matter, Justice David Oladimeji announced yesterday that he would deliver his judgment onAugust 27.

Two state officers of SDP - Alhaji Rasheed Mayowa and Chief Azeez Alakinde- Ismaila had gone to court, asking that the national body of the party be stopped from organising any fresh congress in the state on the grounds that their tenure would end in 2020, going by the congress, which produced the executives in 2016.

They argued that the congress which produced Omisore as the party’s candidate was illegal, having been conducted contrary to two court orders.

The applicants’ lawyer, Olayinka Sokoya told the court that the matter was beyond the internal running of the party but was premised on the constitution of the party.

He argued that the defendants’ disposition against his applications before the court be discountenance, while noting that disobeying court orders had rendered everything done by Omisore’s group null and void.

Sokoya urged the court to sack all the executives elected by the factional SDP congress led by Dr. Bayo Faforiji and declare all actions taken by them so far, including the primary it conducted, which produced Omisore as unconstitutional.

He asked to court to fully restore all powers back to the Chief Ademola Isholaled executive which produced an Iwo indigene, Kehinde Atanda as the governorship candidate.

Counsel to the National SDP, Kehinde Adesiyan asked the court to dismiss in its entirety all the applications filed by the applicants, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first instance.

Omisore’s lawyer, Adeyemi Adetife while aligning himself with Adesiyan, explained that his client has nothing to do with the suit, wondering why he will be joined in the matter before the court.

Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), Vilba Kinta explained that as an umpire in election matters, the body has nothing to do with the internal problem of the party.

Thereafter, Justice Oladimeji who had earlier ruled that the court will hear all the applications, adjourned the matter to August 27 for final judgment.