Osun election tribunal: APC asks police to beef up security ahead of parties’ final addresses

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun has asked the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to beef up security at the venue of the state’s governorship election tribunal.

In August 2022, Gboyega Oyetola, former Osun governor, and the APC petitioned the tribunal to challenge the victory of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election.

Parties are expected to adopt their final addresses at the tribunal sitting on Friday.

According to a statement on Thursday by Kola Olabisi, Osun APC media and information director, Tajudeen Lawal, the party chairman in the state, said there is a plot by “some disgruntled politicians” to disrupt the sitting. 

“It is expedient for the assigned security officers at the tribunal to discharge their duties without fear or favour with an exhibition of civility during the course of performing their official responsibilities,” Lawal said.

“Let me appeal to the Osun State Police Command and other sister security agencies in the state that they should not treat the issue of security in and outside the tribunal with levity.

“Statutory security agents should extend the tentacles of their investigation of crimes in the state in order to bungle the boasted plans of some political stakeholders in the state to sponsor hoodlums to cause mayhem in and outside the tribunal venue.

“The members of our party should continue their usual culture of decorum no matter the provocation from any quarters in order to be active partakers in watching the imminent light at the end of the tunnel.”

Adeleke was declared the winner of the Osun governorship election which was held on July 16, 2022.

He secured 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes.

According to the petition, Adeleke, who had also contested the 2018 governorship election but lost, “was, at the material time, not qualified to contest election to the office of the governor of Osun state for having presented forged certificates” to INEC.

The petitioners are also challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 LGAs of the state over alleged electoral malpractice.