APC lawyer defends petition challenging Adeleke’s re-election as governor
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawyer who filed a petition challenging the re-election of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 governorship election, Barrister Oluseyi Oyagbile, has defended the action, saying he was duly briefed to represent the petitioner.
Oyagbile spoke following reports that Adeleke’s victory had not been challenged and the subsequent appearance of a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal, amid denial by some members of the APC legal team that they filed any petition against the governor’s victory.
The lawyer said he was unaware of the lawyers being referred to or the circumstances in which they were allegedly briefed, stressing that he acted on the instructions of the person who engaged him.
He said the petition was signed by the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Kayode Adereti, whom he said had the locus to file an election petition because he contested on a joint ticket with the governorship candidate.
“If you visit the tribunal and examine the petition, you will discover that it was signed by the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Kayode Adereti. I filed the petition based on the understanding that the deputy governorship candidate of the party has the locus to file an election petition, considering the fact that he is on a joint ticket with the candidate,” he said.
Oyagbile said he had no reason to consult other lawyers before accepting the brief, arguing that the person who engaged him had the right to choose his lawyer. He added that Adereti personally signed the petition after instructing him to file the case.
Oyagbile, however, said the situation would be different if the APC decided not to participate in the case or wanted the petition withdrawn.
He also questioned the basis for other lawyers’ claims that they were not involved in the matter, insisting that anyone with the right to pursue a case could engage a lawyer of their choice.
