The Peoples Democratic Party chairman for Osun State, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, has knocked the speaker of the state assembly, Timothy Owoeye, for violating his oath of office and undermining the integrity of state power by saying that the outgone governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, would take office again before July 5, 2023.
It would be recalled that Owoeye predicted that Oyetola would return to office before July 5 this year.
He stated this at the inauguration of the Osun State branch of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Osogbo on Thursday.
He said, “In 2019, the Supreme Court gave its final verdict on July 5, affirming the victory of Oyetola as governor. If you know them, go and tell them that before July 5, 2023, Oyetola will be returned as Osun Governor.
“They thought they could manipulate the results of the election in their favour, but we thank God that the results of the Bimodal Voter’s Accreditation System exposed them. The defeat suffered by the All Progressives Congress in the July 16 Osun governorship poll was a temporary setback.”
Reacting to the statement,Akindele, said his party was alarmed that a sitting Speaker openly “exposed a sinister agenda to undermine the integrity of the judiciary by making proclamations on a matter that is subjudice.”
He urged the residents of the state to vote against the APC in the February elections and demanded that Owoeye apologize to the judiciary and withdraw his statement.
The statement further read in part, “We at first decried the failure of the Speaker to respect the office he is occupying, to rise above petty partisan politics.
“We condemn in no small measure the lack of courage and demise of statesmanship demonstrated by the House Speaker, who today openly revolted against the will of Osun people and who has unashamedly embraced ignoble falsehoods and propaganda of a defeated Oyetola.”