Osun 2022: Adeleke, Babayemi disagree over court decision

With barely four months into the Osun Governorship election, the crisis over Peoples Democratic Party’s real candidate has ceased to abate.

Two candidates, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Prince Dotun Babayemi emerged from the parallel governorship primary held by two factions of the party in Osogbo, the state capital on March 8, 2022.

The duo also claimed that the decision of Justice Adeyinka Aderigbigbe of the State High Court, adjourning sitting over a suit before it, was filed by one Ademola Adedokun & 31 others against the primary election conducted by the party.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Ayodeji Areola while addressing journalists in Osogbo, said the life span of exparte motion against the exercise lapsed after seven days, adding that since the court has refused to renew it, the ruling died naturally.

“Let me inform you that we are not unaware of the misinformation being circulated by a tiny minority within Osun PDP supported by the APC agents that the order of interim injunction made by Aderibigbe operates indefinitely. That is far from the truth as that position will be preposterous and against logic, law and reason.
“An ex-parte order has a 7-day life span and unless expressly extended, it automatically vanishes after the 7-day period. This is supported by the case of PDP .V. ADAGUNODO in CA/AK/349/2020, the Court, where the Appeal Court said exparte order expired after seven days except it is renewed by the court.

“The implication of the above position is that there is no court order disturbing our candidate any longer. We, therefore, call on all the good people of Osun State to rally around Senator Ademola Adeleke who emerged as the candidate of our great party at our Special State Congress held last week by voting for him en-masse so as to deliver the good people of Osun State from the wrecks and ruins of the APC administration,.” the party spokesperson said.
However, counsel to Babayemi, Edmund Biriomoni, after the sitting said the adjournment means that status quo should be maintained, adding “The Court orders of 3rd and 10th of March, 2022, is still subsisting; valid and binding on parties concerned. Omo Oba Dotun Babayemi still remains the candidate of the party.

“Yes, the implication is that the status quo remains; it means the court will go comatose till they finish from Court of Appeal. They have shot themselves at the foot. It means that the status quo remains which implies that the two earlier court orders granted in favour of the plaintiffs are still subsisting,” he stated. (Vanguard)