Osun PDP Game’s Up

STARE by the reality of an imminent defeat at the ongoing election petition retrial tribunal sitting at the state High Court premises in Osogbo, Osun State capital, prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the state have, in recent times, been holding series of nocturnal meetings at various locations across the state.
The meetings, according to authoritative sources, had virtually all who-is-who in the party hierarchy in attendance including the leader of the party in the state, Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and some prominent members of his kitchen-cabinet.
An impeccable source at one of the meetings usually held at the Oke-Fia Government House in Osogbo confirmed to OSUN DEFENDER that the main agenda for deliberation at the meetings was the trend of events at the ongoing tribunal sitting, which by their calculation, may sound the death knell for the party in the state.
The medium further gathered that during one of the well-attended meetings called at the instance of Oyinlola held at the governor’s official residence penultimate week, the state helmsman reportedly expressed his concern over numerous revelations of atrocities committed by his party chieftains against members of the opposition political parties in the state at the tribunal and sought for the way out.
At the meeting, which also had some members of Oyinlola’s legal team in attendance, an insider further revealed, one of the lawyers was reported to have stood up and spoke extensively on the gloomy nature of the governor’s case at the tribunal based on the firm stance of the tribunal members on issues bordering on points of law.
The lawyer was also said to have revealed numerous efforts made on their part to get the tribunal members to a round-table for discussion as was done with the former discredited Justice Thomas Damar Naron-led election petitions tribunal, which had all ended in futility.
After serious arguments during their deliberations, the Okuku-born governor and some party stalwarts in the state in attendance at the meeting were reported to have demanded from the lawyers, the best way forward.The lawyers were then said to have replied that their plan was to work the tribunal towards a rerun election as done in Ekiti State but tasked the party chieftains in attendance on the need to make good use of their numerous contacts in the presidency to swing the judicial and electoral pendulum in the governor’s favour.
In a pensive mood, the governor was also reported to have inquired what the party chieftains had in plan to win back the state in the case of a rerun election, a question that caught most of the chieftains unawares.However at the end of it all, it was unanimously agreed that all former aggrieved members of the party who had left in annoyance must be worked upon to return to the party fold with the aim of forging unity within the party.
In a move to achieve this, Oyinlola was mandated to set aside a huge sum of money to execute the plan, which according to them, would be used to induce the decampees and the tribunal judges.The money, they claimed, would also be spent on logistics including fueling of their vehicles and other sundry expenses.
The first step in the plan was to bring the likes of Senator Felix Kolawole Ogunwale, Alhaji Kamil Babatunde Badmus (Tuns), Alhaji Fatai Oyedele popularly known as Diekola back into the PDP fold with a view to using them to win in the case of a rerun election.
The duo of Alhaji Badmus and Diekola were considered vital in the party’s scheming, in view of the party’s resolve to win Osogbo and Olorunda Local Government Council areas at all cost.Therefore, pressure must be mounted on them by whatever means to have them back in the PDP fold as a result of Osogbo being the seat of the state government.
To serve as further incentives for the individuals, the medium further gathered of plans to have their nominees for various political appointments, which include commissionership and chairmen of parastatals.The religious kite was not left out of the party’s sinister plans as Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun was reportedly seen at the residence of a prominent Islamic leader, Alhaji Arisekola Alao in Ibadan, Oyo State capital for reasons presumed to be not unconnected with the need for the religious leader to prevail on Alhaji Badmus to forget the humiliation he suffered in the hands of Oyinlola’s aides and return to the party.
Oyedokun was reported to have arrived Alhaji Arisekola’s residence in his ash-coloured Nissan jeep with customized registration number SAB 03, on Monday 24, August 2009, where he was immediately ushered into the expansive mansion, with the Islamic leader waiting for him.
Oyinlola was also reported to have prostrated to beg Alhaji Tunde Badmus on the need to forgive and forget what he had done to offend the business magnate in the past to forestall his imminent disgrace from power.It would be recalled that the appeal tribunal that sat in Ibadan had ordered a retrial over the appeal filed by Osun State Action Congress (AC) governorship candidate, Engineer Rauf Aregbesola against an earlier ruling by a compromised tribunal led by Justice Naron in very controversial circumstances.
By OUR REPORTER
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