The Secretary of Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Legal Committee, Hashim Abioye, has reacted to the purported plan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge Ademola Adeleke’s victory.
Bell News Online earlier reported that Kunle Adegoke, a member of Gboyega Oyetola’s legal team said the governor would engage no fewer than fifty lawyers to challenge the victory of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Adeleke.
In an interview with Bellnews Online, Hashim Abioye said indications that APC would want to go to the tribunal and bring several lawyers to challenge Adeleke’s victory is not a threat to the party.
According to Abioye, engaging a large number of lawyers is within the right of the APC and it means nothing
He said: “The APC have a right to line up as many lawyers as they can. It is their right.
From all indications, they want to go to the tribunal. If you look at the Electoral Act, it has roles for INEC, political parties, the conduct of the election and after that, there are provisions for election petitions.
“It is not a threat at all. I have been involved in so many election petition matters where you line up as many lawyers as you can.
That does not mean anything. There is no room for anyone to hide again in litigation. You place your card face up. We are waiting for them.”
Also reacting, the Director of Media and Publicity in Osun PDP, Oladele Oluwabamiji, said APC can double the number of legal practitioners they want to hire but it would be an exercise in futility.
Oluwabamiji said: “If that is the way they want to go, there is no problem with it. It is not usual that when a party is defeated in an electoral contest of this nature, you are not satisfied or think you have any ground for redress, the next thing is to go to court.
“For the 50 legal practitioners APC wants to hire, I think that 50 might not be enough. They can as well double that number. Perhaps they may be able to help them. I am not a lawyer, but I know it will an exercise in futility. It was a clear contest which produced a winner.”