Opinion
Osun PDP: The Long Walk to Justice, By Dr. Longe Oyeleye
On 29th Day of July 2021 the erudite Honourable Justice S.O Oke sat on the much awaited case on the controversial removal of Hon Soji Adagunodo as the Chairman of Osun PDP. The Honorable Justice in his wisdom affirmed that the ongoing appeal filed by the Adeleke group at the court of Appeal in Abuja should be exhausted before giving his judgment on the substantive suit.
The Court sitting in Osogbo was filled to capacity by supporters of Hon Soji Adagunodo and Adeleke to hear the judgment. The road leading to this point has been rough, difficult and it is obvious that the long walk to justice has not ended.
The 24 hours leading to the judgment was frenzy, the Adeleke group threw caution to the winds and railed all kinds of accusations against the judge and the judiciary. They even released a fake judgment claiming that it was written by another judge. They accused the incumbent government of attempts to hijack the PDP, all kinds of blackmails and propaganda were flying left and right all in a bid to intimidate the judiciary into submission, hold the party to ransom and delay justice.
When the petition against the Honorable Judge failed to hold waters, they proceeded to the Court of Appeal in Abuja and made efforts to arrest the judgment. The three (3) justices who sat on the case were unanimous in their judgment that the Adeleke groups were trying to tie the hands of the judiciary and buy time to hijack the legal proceedings. The Adeleke group has never failed to let everyone know that they could procure judgment with money.
Despite the venomous attacks on his person and sheer pressure up to the night before the sitting, the Honorable Justice followed legal procedures to allow the court of appeal to exhaust its process. The Adeleke Group in their sheer ignorance went into wreck jubilation, without realizing that what they got was a judicial mirage that would soon evaporate.
It was anticipated that resolving the Chairmanship tussle at the court today would have laid to rest the continued uncertainty of the participation of the party at the coming gubernatorial elections but the Adeleke group in their desperation to subvert the path of justice have just burgled the chance of the party. When the Court of Appeal resolves the issues, if it does not go to the Supreme Court, the case will return back to the lower court for adjudication and the circle to the court of appeal and supreme courts will continue. It is a long walk to justice indeed.
Sadly, the PRO of the Party, Hon. Sunday Bisi, who was illegally elevated to the position of the party chairman without due process in his press release accused Hon. Soji Adagunodo of conniving with the APC to wreck the PDP. It is a case of either sheer ignorance or an attempt to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it. It is very clear that it is the Adeleke Group that is trying to subvert the PDP and waste her chances at the polls. The Adeleke Group financed the faceless Rebuilders who sent petitions to the NWC of the PDP accusing him of crimes he did not commit and the NWC without any evidence sprang into action to remove an elected Chairman. It was the Adeleke Group, who forged signatures of SWC members to pass a vote of no confidence on Hon. Soji Adagunodo. It was the Adeleke Group who made a spirited attempt to steal the case file from High Court 4, Osogbo. They were the people who filed an appeal against a judgment that had not been given. We are yet to see the hands of the APC or any other group in all of this desperation to hijack the PDP.
When the Bukola Saraki reconciliation committee was inaugurated and he met with representatives of Osun PDP, hope was raised that a political solution would be found for the crisis, but the Adelekes stopped the resolution and forbade the Saraki group from even visiting Osun State. While they made progress at resolving the crisis in Ogun and Lagos State, Osun and Ekiti was locked in the cold through the Adeleke/Fayose tango. Even the South West reconciliation committee led by Gov Olagunsoye Oyinlola was rebuffed by the Adelekes, they failed to attend any of the hearings held in Ososgbo to find a political solution to the crisis. It is sheer ineptitude on the part of Hon. Sunday Bisi or anyone for that matter to have accused the opposition (ruling party) of fueling the crisis in the PDP. The Adelekes are the culprits.
Major stakeholders had watched with keen interest how Hon. Sunday Bisi working with pathfinder, the Adeleke group within the party, to adopt Senator Ademola Adeleke as the sole candidate of the party for the gubernatorial election. This is a man who jumped bail and has been away from Osun State since 2018. It is obvious that hijacking the party is aimed at getting a consensus ticket for the runaway senator in hope that he would be able to return back to the country and enjoy immunity. It can be recalled with nostalgia several failed announcements of his return and distribution of Ankara to their supporters for his coming during the Ileya holidays. The Adeleke group are either too blind or they are half clever. The APC Government understands the game much more than they give them credit.
As the debacle hangs on the neck of the PDP, Hon Soji Adagunodo is advised to continue to pursue justice if not for anything to clear his family name from the mud spilled by the Adeleke group. This is very important because every man has a right to prove his innocence not just in the court of public opinion but also in the court of justice. It is expedient to call on the leaders and well-meaning members of the PDP to rise up and take their party from the hands of the usurpers. Head or tail, the Osun PDP is in deep shit!
This shall be a long walk to justice.
Dr Longe Oyeleye,
PDP, writes from Dallas, Texas.