Osun: Buhari, Tinubu, APC, Fayemi, others congratulate Oyetola

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State on the Friday Supreme Court ruling which affirmed his victory in the State Governorship election of September 2018.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publucity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Friday, the president commended the government and people of Osun in allowing the rule of law to run its entire course.
Buhari urged the people of the state as well as security agencies to sustain the peace in the state.
According to the President, the decision of the apex court lays to rest the tussle over the governorship of Osun State and removes all encumbrances on the path of the governor from fully delivering dividends of democracy to the good people of the State.
He called on the victorious governor and the ruling All Progressives Congress party to be magnanimous in victory and make concrete moves towards inclusive governance as may be necessary.
The president also expressed Federal Government’s continued willingness to partner with the state government for the betterment of the people.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, commended the Supreme Court’s judgement, saying it further vindicates the judiciary as unbiased, independent and impartial.
Tinubu gave the commendation in a statement entitled “Supreme Court Verdict on Osun: Testimony that Judiciary is on Course,” on Friday in Lagos.
He said that the judgment which reaffirmed the victory of Oyetola was a testimony that the judiciary was firmly on course and worked in synch with the peoples’ aspiration.
According to him, in spite of the intimidation, unnecessary accusations and rumour-mongering, the apex court lived to its billing by dispensing justice without fear or favour.
“The court did not rule based on any hearsay but acted on the basis of the merits and demerits of the case before it.
“The Supreme Court and the Judiciary, therefore, deserve our commendation for it has further strengthened the democratic process.
Tinubu also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for discharging itself creditably on the Osun election.
“On the issue of the Electoral Act, it is only the INEC, as the electoral body, that can apply the law appropriately with respect to elections. “This, the commission did rightly,’’ he said.
 
Tinubu said that the verdict of the apex court laid to rest the tussle over the Osun governorship and removed all encumbrances on the path of the governor.
 
“Now, governance can begin in full swing and the people of Osun can begin to reap the fruits of the government they voted to put in place.
 
“I congratulate Governor Oyetola for his steadfastness and for remaining calm while the electoral case lasted.
 
“The All Progressives Congress must be commended for standing firmly behind the governor. I also commend the government and people of Osun in allowing the rule of law to run its entire course.
 
“I urge them to continue to assist the security agencies in maintaining and sustaining the peace,’’ he said.
 
Tinubu urged Oyetola to be magnanimous in victory by extending his hands of fellowship to the Peoples Democratic Party and continue to unite the people.
 
“PDP and its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, have exercised and exhausted their rights as expected of them. I praise them for their doggedness.
“It is now time to rally round and join hands with the government to move Osun to the Next Level,’’ Tinubu said.
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State also congratulated Oyetola.
Reacting to the ruling on Friday, Fayemi described it as an affirmation of the people’s will, “as expressed through their votes in the 2018 governorship election in the state”.
The governor who said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olayinka Oyebode, also congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the people of Osun for remaining calm and optimistic all through the judicial process.
He urged Oyetola to be magnanimous in victory and extend a hand of fellowship to his opponents in the bid to move the state forward.
“It is a great day for democracy. The highest court in the country has finally settled the controversies surrounding the Osun governorship election and affirmed Governor Oyetola as the true winner of the election
“Hearty congratulations to my brother Governor, Oyetola. A bigger congratulations to the people of Osun State, who are the real winners in the context,” he said.
Fayemi said he was convinced that Oyetola would take the state to the next level of development and prosperity, given his pedigree “as an astute manager of men and resources and as a leader who has genuine passion for development”.
Similarly, the South West leaders of the APC have hailed the outcome of the case.
The party noted that the judgment showed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination of ridding the nation’s judiciary of manipulative tendencies is yielding results.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, Chief Karounwi Oladapo, the South-West Zonal Publicity Secretary of APC, said the victory would stop further distractions in Osun state and brighten the chances of the party in the zone.
The Osun State All Progressives Congress (APC) described the judgement that affirmed Oyetola as the winner as “historic’’.
APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, on Friday in Osogbo, said that God had used the highest legal authority of the land to proclaim the truth that Oyetola lawfully won the election.
According to him, the Progressive God that Osun people are serving heard their prayers and granted their request.
“Our fears for the calamity that might have befallen the state of Osun, if the PDP had been declared winner, have now been assuaged.
“We are overjoyed for this amazing grace.
“Those who had wished for a different outcome have a lesson to learn here; that there is a natural limit to which you can stretch evil.
“It was this limit the PDP got in their attempt to stage a miraculous upset at last September’s election.”
Oyatomi said that subsequent efforts to spin the law at the tribunal, unraveled at the Court of Appeal, finally died at the Supreme Court.
“The details are now history. This is not simply a victory for the party alone; it is a victory for the good people of the state of Osun.
“May the good Lord give the governor the wisdom, strength and foresight to expand the legacy he inherited, and set Osun on the irreversible course that God and the entire people of Osun will be proud of,” Oyatomi said.
Ondo APC described the Supreme Court verdict as a vivid vindication of the party’s sincerity.
The APC Chairman in Ondo State, Mr Ade Adetimehin, said this in a statement on Friday in Osogbo by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Alex Kalejaiye.
Adetimehin urged Oyetola “to settle down for governance since distraction had given way.”
Adetimehin stressed the need for Oyetola to work for the development and welfare needs of the good people of the Osun.
He commended the courage of the judiciary, particularly that of the justices of the highest judicial organ in the land, for dispensing justice without sentiment.
“The judiciary has once again made us proud; the Supreme Court justices have convinced all observers that they cannot be intimidated nor bribed,” he said
The chairman also counselled political parties to see elections as contest to serve and not a “do-or-die-affairs,’ warning that strife was inimical to political development.
Adetimehin advised Oyetola to be “magnanimous in victory” and view the entire state as his constituency for attention.
“With this, His Excellency would have allayed the fears of many and enjoyed the support of all and sundry,” he said.
Mr Ade Omole, a chieftain of APC advised Oyetola to ensure an all-inclusive government and to extend hands of fellowship to his political opponents.
Omole who is also the leader of the United Kingdom Chapter of the APC gave the advice while reacting to the Friday’s affirmation of Oyetola’s electoral victory by the Supreme Court.
He congratulated Oyetola for the ruling, adding that an all-inclusive government in the state, was critical to enthrone purposeful leadership.
Omole said the Supreme Court judgement, was not just a victory for the party, but for the people of Osun and the country’s democracy.
He expressed optimism that now that litigation was over, the governor could now settle down to governance without further distraction.
He added that the ruling would go a long way in restoring the confidence and hope of Nigerians on the sanctity of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man.
Omole urged Oyetola to remain a good ambassador of the APC by ensuring good governance to the people of the state, while sustaining the programmes and developmental agenda of the party.
He said it was now the responsibility of the governor to ensure that the people of the state were repaid with good governance.