The Osun State People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has hit out at the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Tertsea Kume.
Kume had in his ruling that favoured ex-governor Gboyega Oyetola made sport of Gov. Ademola Adeleke hinting on the latter’s dancing passion.
“The 2nd Respondent cannot “go lo lo lo lo” and “Buga won” as the duly elected Governor of Osun State in the election conducted on 16h day of July 2022.. Rather, we hereby hold that the 1st Petitioner scored a majority of lawful votes in the said election and is hereby returned as such,” Kume said.
Acting chairman of Osun PDP, Adekunle Akindele, on Saturday in Osogbo at a press conference, accused the tribunal chairman of acting like “a hired mercenary”, claiming the judge did not disguise his alleged bias during the proceedings.
He said, “Our party had always suspected Mr Tertsea Kume’s conduct in the course of hearing of the petition. Most times, the Benue State-born controversial arbiter would get lost and get himself overwhelmed with his bias tendencies and enter the role of lead counsel to the petitioner, arguing points for them like a hired mercenary, even when it was obvious the hired counsel for the petitioner had lost their way.
“This reckless abuse of privilege got to a head when Mr Kume had to step down hearing twice for the APC lead counsel to adjust and regain himself when the latter got lost in traffic of trying to adumbrate white as black in their final written address.
“What more, the premeditated stance of the tribunal chairman was clearly demonstrated in his side of the stalemate with his choice of words which we considered unethical, disrespectful and unbecoming of a judicial officer of such standing.
“Even if the judgement was way-billed to him, as we suspected, by his petitioner collaborators, he should have disguised and exercised some restraints by expunging the foul languages obviously written for him in local parlance of Buga lyrics to disrespect an elected governor. He shouldn’t have gone so low, low, low!
“This is more so, when he’s expected not to be too carried away or in the least, to be aware that his warped position was a mere starting point in the legal tussle in this context as provided in our extant laws.”
