The Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party in Osun State, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, has accused the Chairman
of Independent National Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Atahiru Jega, of
insincerity for retaining the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mr.
Rufus Akeju, despite a court order allegedly restraining him from doing so.
Olaoluwa said this in a
statement made available to journalists in Osogbo on Saturday.
The PDP chairman said the
refusal of the INEC chairman to obey the court order restraining him from
retaining the REC.
The statement read, “Prof. Jega
is not honest about the issue of the resident electoral officer in Osun as a
Federal High Court has restrained INEC from using Mr. Akeju. It
baffles the PDP what Akeju is still doing in Osun State.
“Only yesterday (Thursday) , the
All Progressives Congress inaugurated one of its offices beside INEC
office along Ilobu Road. How can a political office be situated beside an
INEC office. Is this right?
“We want Jega to tell us if what
is happening in Osun is right because he who comes to equity must come with
clean hands.”
But the Chief Press Secretary to
the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, had recently denied a similar allegation
raised by Senator Iyiola Omisore.
Idowu said in a statement that
the allegation leveled against Jega was not true.
The statement read, “True,
in a ruling on 23rd March, 2011 by the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Hon.
Justice Babs Kuewumi gave an interlocutory order of injunction restraining INEC
from recognising the REC, pending the hearing and determination of the
originating summons in the suit. But the commission’s lawyers
lodged an appeal and filed a motion for stay of execution of the interlocutory
order.”
“This appeal is still pending
before the Court of Appeal in Akure. Meanwhile, Hon. Justice Babs Kuewumi, in
another ruling on 31st May, 2012, granted the application for stay of
proceedings pending the determination of the appeal made by the Plaintiff – the
Peoples Democratic Party. The position of the law as at today is that the order
of injunction granted by the lower court is in abeyance pending the final determination
of the appeal.”{Punch}
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