Osun PDP directs Adagunodo to withdraw court case, threatens to report Judge to NJC

By Richard Akintade, Osogbo

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state has directed its former state chairman, Hon Soji Adagunodo, to immediately withdraw the belated court case on Osun PDP chairmanship tussle, warning that the case has been hijacked by the All Progressive Congress(APC).

In a strongly-worded statement, the party also alerted the public to surreptitious agenda by Mr Gboyega Oyetola to influence the judiciary on the matter in a bid to truncate the swearing in of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State on November 27th, 2022.

The PDP which threatened all constitutional steps to actualise November 27 handover date warned of its readiness to petition the National Judicial Council on the apparent unprofessional conduct of the presiding judge, especially in the last sitting on the case.

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In the statement signed by the State Caretaker Chairman of the party, Dr Adekunle Akindele, the PDP posited that Hon Adagunodo had been cleared by the National Executive Committee of the PDP on some allegations during his party chairmanship and should therefore withdraw the case without further delay.

The party had gathered on good authority that Hon Adagunodo claimed he was not issued an official letter of clearance by the party’s NEC, hence his continuation of the court processes.

The statement however noted that the NEC clearance was the reason Adagunodo was able to contest and emerge as the South West National Vice Chairman of the PDP, adding that there was no further political or legal basis for non-withdrawal of the suit.

While justifying calls for the withdrawal of the suit, the PDP called the attention of the Vice Chairman, South West, to the fact that the case had emerged as the main tool of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to attempt disruption of November 27th, 2022 swearing in ceremony.

To avoid becoming part of the plot to scuttle the will of Osun people and to prove that he is indeed not available for the APC reactionary agenda, Hon Adagunodo should urgently kick-start the process of case withdrawal, the statement posited.

The party further warned that failure to close the case would confirm allegations and alleged grand coalition among the APC, Hon Adagunodo and a section of the judiciary to throw Osun into a constitutional crisis, a development the party vowed to legally resist.

The statement hinted that it had set machinery in motion to petition the NJC over the conduct of the presiding judge as his conduct at the last sitting echoed the boast on social media by Mr Oyetola’s supporters that November 27th, 2022 would not hold.

“We are compiling all the observed unprofessional activities on this particular matter and we will duly approach the NJC. We want to strongly advice the state judicial leadership to be sensitive to the conduct of some of its officials. The judiciary should not allow itself to be used against the will of Osun people”, the statement said.