All eyes are on Osun as the court begins hearing tomorrow
Historically, the results of the hearings of the Electoral Petitions Tribunal have greatly contributed to deepening the country's electoral system. I am therefore confident that, as has happened before, Osun's case will be a litmus test for all critical stakeholders as we prepare for the 2023 general election.
The revelations to come from the Tribunal will no doubt be staggering, especially since since the introduction of the BVAS (Bimodal Voters Accreditation System) by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Osun will be the first place where the BVAS reports is the subject of critical analysis.
INEC as an institution would have done its best to ensure a transparent process. However, since those responsible for leveraging the technology are no angels, there are bound to be opportunities for improvement.
Essentially, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola's decision to challenge the result of the July 16 poll for Osun Governorate should never be seen as an attempt to undermine the integrity of INEC. Far from it.
On the contrary, Oyetola should be commended for walking the path of civility and the rule of law; for helping to deepen the country's democratic values and electoral system.
I am therefore bold to say that the result of the Osun Election Petitions Tribunal will go a long way in ensuring that INEC fills in some gaps that may have been noticed before the 2023 general election, just like the Assembly national would also do so. be guided appropriately when proposing further amendments to the electoral law in the future.
This is all the more true since most of the reforms we have today in our electoral laws were born out of court decisions.
The revelations and subsequent decision of the Tribunal and those of the other two tribunals that would follow could just as well be part of future reforms.
What are the issues before the Tribunal? Basically, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate for this election, Oyetola, are challenging the eligibility of Senator Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke to run for office in the first instance.
Furthermore, they contest the fact that, contrary to the INEC statement, the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in this election, Adeleke, did not obtain the legal majority of votes to be thus declared winner of the July 16 election. governor election.
What are the facts of the issues raised?Recall that it is public knowledge that in 2019, Senator Adeleke, who was declared the winner by INEC, faced criminal allegations of professional misconduct during examinations.
He was arrested and brought before the court. He was released on bail, then he traveled abroad. He did not run again, however, until he returned just a year before the July elections.
Interestingly, when appearing in 2018, he claimed to have registered for GCE O' Level in 1981 but had F9 in English language and was recorded absent for other subjects.
Ironically, his profile on the National Assembly website at the time also listed him as a graduate certificate holder in criminology from Jacksonville State University (JSU), where he reportedly graduated in 1986.
However, in an investigation conducted by the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, at the time, the above claim was denied by Buffy Lockette, the university's director of public relations.
Fact-checking by ICIR further revealed that while it was true that Senator Adeleke had indeed enrolled at the facility, he had never received a certificate.
Another request from the West African Examination Council website at the time to verify that Senator Adeleke's O-level result was displayed, then, using exam number 19645/149, returned as "result not available for this candidate in the year and exams specified diet." So, in 2018, he had zero O-level results.
But when he returned, he claimed he had a degree, which he had been awarded in the middle of last year, and that said certificate qualified him for a B.Sc. in Criminal Justice, from the Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States.
Interestingly, he claimed to have graduated just 24 days after getting said degree certificate.
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Historically, the results of the hearings of the Electoral Petitions Tribunal have greatly contributed to deepening the country's electoral system. I am therefore confident that, as has happened before, Osun's case will be a litmus test for all critical stakeholders as we prepare for the 2023 general election.
The revelations to come from the Tribunal will no doubt be staggering, especially since since the introduction of the BVAS (Bimodal Voters Accreditation System) by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Osun will be the first place where the BVAS reports is the subject of critical analysis.
INEC as an institution would have done its best to ensure a transparent process. However, since those responsible for leveraging the technology are no angels, there are bound to be opportunities for improvement.
Essentially, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola's decision to challenge the result of the July 16 poll for Osun Governorate should never be seen as an attempt to undermine the integrity of INEC. Far from it.
On the contrary, Oyetola should be commended for walking the path of civility and the rule of law; for helping to deepen the country's democratic values and electoral system.
I am therefore bold to say that the result of the Osun Election Petitions Tribunal will go a long way in ensuring that INEC fills in some gaps that may have been noticed before the 2023 general election, just like the Assembly national would also do so. be guided appropriately when proposing further amendments to the electoral law in the future.
This is all the more true since most of the reforms we have today in our electoral laws were born out of court decisions.
The revelations and subsequent decision of the Tribunal and those of the other two tribunals that would follow could just as well be part of future reforms.
What are the issues before the Tribunal? Basically, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate for this election, Oyetola, are challenging the eligibility of Senator Nurudeen Jackson Ademola Adeleke to run for office in the first instance.
Furthermore, they contest the fact that, contrary to the INEC statement, the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in this election, Adeleke, did not obtain the legal majority of votes to be thus declared winner of the July 16 election. governor election.
What are the facts of the issues raised?Recall that it is public knowledge that in 2019, Senator Adeleke, who was declared the winner by INEC, faced criminal allegations of professional misconduct during examinations.
He was arrested and brought before the court. He was released on bail, then he traveled abroad. He did not run again, however, until he returned just a year before the July elections.
Interestingly, when appearing in 2018, he claimed to have registered for GCE O' Level in 1981 but had F9 in English language and was recorded absent for other subjects.
Ironically, his profile on the National Assembly website at the time also listed him as a graduate certificate holder in criminology from Jacksonville State University (JSU), where he reportedly graduated in 1986.
However, in an investigation conducted by the International Center for Investigative Reporting, ICIR, at the time, the above claim was denied by Buffy Lockette, the university's director of public relations.
Fact-checking by ICIR further revealed that while it was true that Senator Adeleke had indeed enrolled at the facility, he had never received a certificate.
Another request from the West African Examination Council website at the time to verify that Senator Adeleke's O-level result was displayed, then, using exam number 19645/149, returned as "result not available for this candidate in the year and exams specified diet." So, in 2018, he had zero O-level results.
But when he returned, he claimed he had a degree, which he had been awarded in the middle of last year, and that said certificate qualified him for a B.Sc. in Criminal Justice, from the Atlanta Metropolitan State College in the United States.
Interestingly, he claimed to have graduated just 24 days after getting said degree certificate.
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