Adeleke’s many troubles

• Resolving the legal and moral issues may not be easy

Adeleke

By Olusesan Laoye

When Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) entered into the Nigeria’s political waters, he did not envisaged how deep and turbulent it is. He believed that it would be very easy to swim and get out, perhaps as it was for his elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke. He never bargained for what he is now getting.

As at the time he was asked to step into his late brother’s shoes, Senator Adetunji Isiaka Adeleke after his death, which still remained a mystery, Demola who had never been in politics than what he usually witnessed around him, thought he was going to leverage on the impact which his late brother had made politically and the wealth of his other brother, Deji Adeleke to have things smooth sailing all the time but he got it all wrong.

The constant exposures about his certificate scandal and various court cases and judgments he has been receiving which could be regarded as embarrassing to him, the family, the party and the  nation are the least expected. For the mere fact that he got the senatorial ticket as a compensation for his brother’s mysterious death and out of sympathy for the family and the people of his community on a platter of gold, never made him realised the intrigues and power play in the politics of Nigeria, which are the factors now staring him in the face.

It was even argued that if he had known how things would turn out for him he would not have ventured into the much volatile governorship, which commands lots of respect and interest of powerful people for both power and business purposes.

A source told BusinessHallmark that Demola himself and the brother Deji were not initially interested in the governorship project but for the dummy sold to them by the PDP leadership in the state to milk money from them and to execute the election, knowing that Deji, a billionaire, would not pump so much money as he did, if his brother was not directly involved and particularly on the ballot.

Right from the day Demola got into politics, he has been facing problems. His nomination for the senatorial ticket under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was controversial. He was refused the ticket despite the fact that he sailed through the stages of nominations. He was however handed the ticket by the PDP and he won the election to become a Senator for the Osun West Senatorial District to replace his late brother Tunji.

His ongoing crisis on the certificate scandal started from the PDP when he won the primary which was alleged to have been rigged. The group of his major opponent in the primary took him to the party’s election petition committee and subsequently to the Court and part of the issues raised was  that he was not qualified and the certificate scandal.

To give room for settlement, the group was asked to withdrew the court case. Subsequently and before the election, the APC on the same issue took him to court to disqualify him, but due to the intervention of the Presidency the matter was put on hold.

Since then, the Senator has not gone out of trouble waters. The election result which from the total votes favoured him was cancelled and he was not announced the winner; rather, the election was declared inconclusive, a rerun was ordered in some units which eventually gave Gboyega Oyetola of APC victory.

Demola went to the elections petition Tribunal which eventually declared him the winner on two to one decision. The APC Oyetola has appealed the verdict of the tribunal but as the Appeal Court is yet to commence sitting on the case another bubble burst for him. Demola was declared not competent to contest the governorship election by Justice Othman Musa of the Abuja High Court. The judge nullified his nomination as candidate of the PDP in the September 28 governorship election on the grounds that he offended section 177 of the constitution of 1999.

The section stipulates that candidate must be educated to secondary level for a position of governor but there was no evidence to that effect; adding that though he enrolled in 1976 but his name was not seen in the school register from 1980.

This latest judgement has again opened up fresh contradictions, controversies, and legal arguments on both sides.

Mr Isreal Olandare, a senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) faulted Justice Othman’s judgement, saying that it was not sound because the provisions of the constitution on the matter was clear that whoever is aspiring to any political office  must be educated to school Certificate level and not the holder of school certificate. As such the judgment cannot stand a test of time, adding that it was the prosecution that subpeoned WAEC to tender the result of Adeleke and it was confirmed that he sat for the exam notwithstanding that he may have failed, because “educated to secondary school is what the constitution says and not that he should have grade one and so on and since there was evidence that he sat for the exam, he was qualify to contest. Mr Nathan Oke (SAN)  counsel to Adeleke said they were grossly dissatisfied and they will appeal on the evidence that, “our candidate showed evidence that he sat for WASC.”

Also Barrister Adeloye said the issues are to be looked into according to the law not on political consideration and sentiments people are bringing into the matter.

Barrister Niyi Owolade from Adeleke campaign organization said that Justice Othman’s verdict was belated because the matter in question had been properly addressed by two High Courts which affirmed that Adeleke satisfied all requirements by law to contest the September 28 2018 governorship election, and that the 180 days ruling on election matters had expired and since there were proofs that he was educated to secondary levelhe therefore qualified under section 177 ( D) of 1999 constitution as amended

In his reaction the Director of  Organization of the APC in the state Barrister KunleOyatomi was of the opinion that Demola Adeleke was not qualified abinitio to vie for the election, saying  that his problems even originated from his party at the primary level. He pointed out that apart from the WASC issues there are other charges which he is also facing.

To me “I don’t see how he will escape at the end of the day because I can’t imagine how a person without School Certificate would want to rule a State like Osun with sound educated people who are exposed and enlightened.”

Dr. Yemi Farounbi, a leader of the social Democratic Party (SDP) shared the same opinion with Oyatomi that it is unheard of that a person without any  certificate would want to rule Osun State with high level of intellectuals. He argued that the Adelekes with their money should have raised and back a well- educated person even if with OND than someone who didn’t pass WASC. He further said that apart from the point of law the whole thing borders on moral issues which some of them from the state had examined critically.

But Mr Diran Odeyemi the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP said that as far as the party was concerned they stood on the judgments in their favour and there is no way the APC can use blackmail, intimidation, lies, all forms of legal  battle and the federal might to take back the peoples’ mandate freely and willingly given to the PDP.