Dotun Babayemi Ademola Adeleke Several months ago, one of the governorship aspirants under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Dotun Babayemi missed his only chance of bringing justice to the ways of navigating affairs of the party in the state, mostly in the course of picking who emerges as the candidate of the party in an election.
Recall that Mr. Dotun Babayemi had challenged the primary election that produced Governor Ademola Adeleke as illegal and one that could not stay but missed the opportunity to prove his case at the apex court in the land, the Supreme Court.
Please, mind the word "missed" rather than saying "lose", this is because the case was not heard and struck out on technical grounds. So, should the same scenario come up again anywhere in the country, there is no decisive judgment to be referenced in the case of Dotun Babatemi and PDP, except for the technical reasons that were considered to strike out the case.
The Case in the Public Court
On the street language, the case between Dotun Babayemi, Ademola Adeleke, and the PDP was that the party did not follow due process in picking the governorship candidate of the party for the July 16th, 2022 governorship election in Osun State. Then, Dotun Babayemi asked the court to interpret whether he or Adeleke was the duly selected party's guber candidate or the party had no candidate in the poll.
Babayemi Missed the Case
Recall that there were technical discrepancies in the conduct of the PDP Guber primary in Osun 2022. This is in the sense that PDP held two parallel guber primaries as projected by this medium before the day of their primary, but at different venues and by different party committees and stalwarts from the National body of the party.
The guber primaries were conducted at two places, simultaneously with one taking place at a certified address that is known to the National Working Committee of the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but was not conducted by the legitimate team from the NWC while the other took place at a place that is not known to the PDP NWC and the INEC but was conducted by the legitimate authority from the PDP National body and not supervised by the INEC. In short, some discrepancies marred the conduct of the Guber primary.
However, Babayemi missed the opportunity to get justice for himself on two noticeable grounds.
1. Political Miscalculation
Dotun Babayemi had nurtured his case, successfully up to the Appeal Court and he was in a better position to conclude his case at the Supreme Court, with judgment.
Suddenly, there was a necessity for a shakeup to the composition of the NWC of the party, and some political stalwarts in his camp had an interest in becoming a member of the NWC.
Then, all the perceived atrocities committed by Adeleke's camp against the Babayemi's camp were to be underlooked to pave the way for these political stalwarts, knowing fully well that Iyorchia Ayu's leadership has completely submitted his loyalty to Adeleke's camp in Osun PDP. So, the PDP leaders in the camp of Babayemi thought they could not get it without Adeleke's pally. Recall that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State may have a list of Osun PDP leaders who he would never doubt running away from, whenever the necessity occurs. That was the scenario.
Babayemi was confused by the PDP leaders in his camp and he has already agreed to stealth his sword, decided to discontinue his case at the Supreme Court, and mandated all his supporters to work assiduously for the emergence of Adeleke at the July 16th guber poll.
However, there was a pending agreement with him to be settled after the election was completed. This was his political error.
Babayemi ought to have filed his Supreme Court case and promised Adeleke's camp that once the agreement was settled he would discontinue the case but he did otherwise, and in the end, after the July 16th, guber poll his offers were rejected and the Adelekes depicted him as no force in their electoral success. Then, Babayemi remembered he still had a court case to file at the Supreme Court.
2) The Technical Knockout
Yes, it was the last count of the valid 21 days to file an appeal at the Supreme Court when Babayemi was called by the rejected names by his impromptu allies in Adeleke's camp. Then, he rushed back to his legal counsels and they decided to put on their wigs against Adeleke again.
Unfortunately, despite being a member of the PDP, Adeleke had the supports of some hierarchical members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who would never want Gboyega Oyetola to return as the State Governor of Osun because of their grievances with him and his uncle, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This hierarchical APC members are in the presidency and they attend Federal Executive Council meeting weekly with President Muhammadu Buhari.
It was the only working day, Friday, for Dotun Babayemi to file his case at the Supreme Court, recalling that he had wasted plenty of his valid 21 days with his impromptu friends in Adeleke's camp.
Two serving Ministers in the government of the APC plotted the technical knockout that later denied Babayemi's opportunity to get justice against Adeleke.
On the faithful Friday, Dotun Babayemi and his lawyers were at the Supreme Court to submit their application to beat time but, unfortunately, he could not submit his application.
The Court Registrar who was supposed to enter their application to the court register has been summoned to a planned meeting by the two APC Ministers and they would not release the Registrar from their meeting until it was late on Friday, when it would be impossible for Babayemi to file his case any more.
Dotun Babayemi had no choice but to come back on Monday when his 21 days validity of appealing the Appeal Court judgment had already expired. This led to the application being struck out by the Justices that sit over it at the Supreme Court.
Again, Babayemi missed opportunity to get his case entertained by the court, and he never lose the case to Ademola Adeleke. He may be in the position to say more, possibly in the nearest future.
Category: Forum
Tag: Dotun babayemi ademola Adeleke osun pdp news
Written by Omooba Alekuwodo (omoobaalekuwodo)
Published 4/4/2023 6:55:39 AM