The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has finished its arrangements to petition the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Senator Ademola Adeleke before the State Election Petition Tribunal.
Prince Gboyega Famodun, chairman of the party in the state, made the announcement at a news conference held at the party headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital, on Thursday. He claimed that there is no cause for worry as the party will reclaim its mandate through legal ways.
According to Famodun, the party and the legal counsel for Governor Gboyega Oyetola have a very strong case before the tribunal.
He expressed confidence that the will of the people will triumph in the gubernatorial election on July 16.
He stated, “We are heading to the Tribunal, and our attorneys have informed us that we have strong claims there.”
Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the former governor of the state and current minister of the interior, and his supporters have been accused of engaging in anti-party activities. Famodun stated that the party has set up a mechanism to investigate the allegations and that all erring party members will be disciplined in accordance with the party’s constitution.
“Whether or not the party’s constitution permits the punishment of any member. As it stands, the party constitution allows for discipline, but it must be followed legally,” he said.
“We have established a mechanism to analyze the conduct of these individuals in their various wards; we will receive a report from the ward chairmen on how these individuals have behaved in their wards over the previous few years.
“It will be fascinating to learn that we are so generous. I said in my address that some of them had been absent from the party for three years.
They disregarded caution because they feel that what they are doing is correct. As a result, we requested that the ward chairmen make a report on each of them, and we will use the party’s constitution to address their various offences as they occur.
“If we recall how all of Aregbesola’s lieutenants and followers boasted that they would ensure that Governor Oyetola was not re-elected in the last 16 July 2022 governorship election, we may say the following:
“Surprisingly, Aregbesola and his group of aggressive and combative supporters behaved as expected by publicly campaigning and voting against Governor Oyetola in the election, which contributed to the current predicament of our party in the state.
“It is on record that the Interior Minister never participated in any of our governorship campaigns and that he went out of the country during the election in order to avoid participating in such an important race in his home state, where he is the minister with the highest salary.
As if that were not enough, the group led by Elder Adebiyi Adelowo, the former state acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress, erupted in wild jubilation following the announcement of the results of the governorship election, in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Ademola Adeleke the winner of the election.