The PDP has rejected the inclusion of Hon. Justice J.O.K Oyewole as a member of the Osun State Governorship Election Appeal Panel.
The PDP said its position was predicated on the grounds that Hon. Justice Oyewole allegedly had strong connections with the APC which was an interested party in the appeal and therefore could not be neutral.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the party had already petitioned the President of the Court of Appeal to replace Justice Oyewole with another Justice of the Appeal Court who had no link with Osun or the APC.
Ologbondiyan argued that there was “clear likelihood” of Justice Oyewole being biased against the PDP and its candidate, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, in the appeal.
“Hon. Justice Oyewole (JCA) is an indigene of Osun State and he had served as a High Court Judge of Lagos State and had thus served under the administration of Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu (the National Leader of the APC) while he (Tinubu) was the Governor of Lagos State,” the read in part.
“When the seat of the Chief Judge of Osun State became vacant some years back upon the retirement of Hon. Justice G.O Ojo, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu insisted on having his anointed candidate, Hon Justice J.O.K Oyewole, on the Judiciary of Osun State at all cost, he said.”