APC Urges Omisore, PDP to Discontinue Case at Tribunal; PDP Says APC Is Scared Because Election Was Rigged

As the Election Petition Tribunal, hearing matters arising from the August 9 Osun governorship poll, is set to rule on the competence of the petition of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the poll, Senator Iyiola Omisore, today, the All Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday, urged Omisore to discontinue his case against Mr. Rauf Aregbesola at the tribunal

The APC, in a statement issued yesterday in Osogbo by its spokesperson, Barr Kunle Oyatomi, said as it appeared, PDP was only relying on "falsehood, and not fact on the ground" to prosecute its case.

It said that the PDP had withdrawn the celebrated case seeking to declare null, the election supervised by Amb. Rufus Akeju, the state Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the state at the Federal High Court, Osogbo through a motion dated October 15, and signed by its counsel.

APC added that after "futile attempt by the opposition to turn the ruling of Court of Appeal, Akure that struck out INEC appeal against the ruling of Osogbo Federal High Court into judgement sacking both federal and state lawmakers in the state," the PDP had to withdraw the case from the Federal High Court in Osogbo last Friday.

But in a swift reaction, the PDP described the claims by the APC as "another disastrous release from the restless guilty conscience," saying if APC had not rigged the August 9 poll, it need not advise anyone challenging its result to discontinue with the process.

Osun PDP Publicity Secretary, Prince Bola Ajao, said constant "appeal" to PDP and its candidate to withdraw its case against the emergence of Aregbesola should give the panel adjudicating on the issue "good lead" to properly scrutinise APC defence when the hearing commences.

Ajao said: "They need not develop high blood pressure yet because the really shock await them when the hearing start as we have fully prepared for them and block all exits out of the mess that earned APC temporary joy on August 9."

Counsel to PDP, Mr Kehinde Adesiyan, confirmed the withdrawal of the suit against Osun REC, explaining that "we want to avoid a situation whereby we would abuse court process. This is because the suit is a sister case to the one where we recently got a judgment in Federal Court of Appeal in Akure."

But APC stated that in the interest of the fledgling democracy, the mission to unseat Governor Aregbesola through lies by the PDP is "mission impossible should be aborted before it pollutes the democratic atmosphere."