Being the initial response of Engineer Rauf Aregbesola, the Action Congress (AC) gubernatorial candidate in Osun State, to the Naron Tribunal verdict over the disputed April 14, 2007 elections.
The verdict of the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal should not come to all right thinking Nigerians as a surprise considering the activities of the tribunal judges to deny evidence, subpoena, exclusion of evidence on unsupportable technicalities, open romance of the judges, especially Justice Joy Apkughunum and counsel of Oyinlola, in this case and the recent earth-shaking revelations of telephone conversations between Justice Thomas Naron and Oyinlola’s counsel, Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, as revealed by TheNEWS magazine (July 14 and 21, 2008 issues).
On all the rulings and judgments of the tribunal on the 20 petitions outside the governorship petition, it was clear that the judges were not interested in the course of justice but rather in its perversion. The judgment arrived at today (Tuesday, 15 July, 2008) is not unexpected and therefore absolutely rejected.
The conduct of the Thomas Naron-led tribunal is a big subtraction from the new found integrity of the Nigerian judiciary, in which our faith still remains unshaken.
The issues involved her are beyond the ambition of an individual, they involve the integrity of our democratic process, the judiciary, national psyche and general dignity and honour of the Nigerian nation.
As an individual, perhaps, one could easily overlook this travesty and end the struggle. However, considering the fact that we are living in this time and age, with the opprobrium that our race is held worldwide and the general decadence of our society, it is an historic duty for us to advance the cause of justice, democracy, rule of law, freedom and equity by being unrelenting and unsparing in our resolve to confront and demolish all structures established to advance fraud and perversion of all the values we hold sacred.
The institution of democracy is predicated on the sanctity of universal adult suffrage, which is based on the respect for the decision of the people. Manifested through the practice of one man, one vote. Justice is possible only where the temple of justice is respectable, honourable, confidence-promoting and inspiring. Wherever these ingredients are lacking, democracy is imperiled and justice is doomed. Therefore, freedom, peace, progress and development are forlorn and jeopardize.
It is to ensure that this does not happen in our own time that we have pursued this cause to this point and we are still committed to pursuing it to a logical conclusion, even as we reject the judgment.
It is note-worthy that even the golden opportunity provided by our lawyers to the tribunal today, to honourably extricate itself from the judicial cesspool by the issuance of subpoena on the Managing Director of MTN Nigeria Ltd. to provide all the call logs as contained in our application this morning, was unceremoniously refused. The tribunal appeared to be in an undue haste to deliver this hollow, tainted and perverse verdict.
Lest we forget: we commend the vitality, fairness and doggedness of the Nigerian media and the entire citizenry for their unflinching support in the course of this experience. The media have reported this saga fairly and rallied to expose all the shenanigans that littered the course of this case from the beginning till now. On this score, we also hail the famed soldiers of justice, the various Civil Society Organisations, who have stood up and continue to be counted on the side of truth. Our heart reaches out especially to the 24 Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) advocates, now languishing in Oyinlola’s gulag. We salute their effort and emphasize that with the prevailing popular support we shall salvage our nation and republic, tottering under the weight of impunity, brazenness and injustice.
That is why we are determined to exploit all available legal and political options to ensure that evil does not triumph over good. I therefore appeal to our teeming supporters in Osun State and beyond to remain steadfast, firm, hopeful and calm; and refrain from engaging in any act likely to breach the peace of our dear state, bearing in mind that no matter how long it takes, light will always prevail over darkness, truth over falsehood and good over evil.
Ko s’eni to le ja Oranmiyan I’ole gbe!
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