Olusegun Agagu

Campaign for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria (CSDN), a pro-democracy group based in Ondo State has raised an alarm over plans by the Dr Olusegun Agagu - led Peoples Democratic Government in the State to buy over members of the 5-man Election Petition Tribunal with N1billion.

CSDN, in a release signed by Dotun Alao and Sunday Ebietomiye, Chairman and Secretary respectively, alleged that the plans to bribe the Justice G.M. Nabaruma Tribunal with N250 million each was taken last weekend at the caucus meeting of the PDP at the Government House.

The Ondo State government is presently contending with how to tackle series of petitions pending before the Tribunal as virtually all the political parties which contested the highly contentious April 14, 2007 Gubernatorial and House of Assembly election in the State are challenging the purported victory of Dr Olusegun Agagu.

In raising the alarm, the group said that with defeat staring the Olusegun Agagu’s administration in the
face, there is now a desperate move by the government to attempt to pervert justice by bribing the 5 Judges with this hefty amount of money.

“We want to let the whole world know that plans have been concluded to pervert justice by the Ondo State government under Dr Agagu by giving a whopping N1billion to the Members of the Election Petition Tribunal which has already commence sitting in the State. This dastardly plan by Agagu and his henchmen was hatched at a meeting inside the Government House last weekend and they are about to carry it out by using a highly respected judge whom they had contacted to link members of the Tribunal.

“We know that Agagu is a desperate man who will not stop at nothing to ensure that the daylight robbery he and his party carried out on April 14 and April 21elections in Ondo State is legitimized. Hence the need to alert the people of this State on this latest move to subvert the people wish once and for all by resorting to underhand means. We are aware that members of the Tribunal are people of high integrity who will not be swayed for whatever amount of money. They are aware of the stern warnings of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Legbo Kutiji and other eminent jurists in the nation who have warned on the need for members of the Election Petition Tribunals to be above board.”

Specifically, CSDN commended the Ondo Election Petition Tribunal for a job well-done so far saying: “from the little they have done since they commenced sittings in Akure, the Justice Nabaruma Tribunal is, no doubt, made up of highly conscientious judges who are bent on doing a thorough and fair job. We can only pray that they will carry out their duties in this manner and dispense justice without fear or favour,” the release stated.

Efforts to reach Justice Nabaruma or any of the other four Justices proved abortive when our reporter went to the Court 2 venue of the Tribunal. The Secretary of the Tribunal, Mrs Rasheedat Rasheed too was not available. However, an official of the Tribunal who spoke on condition of anonymity insisted that nobody can bribe members of the Tribunal. “I can assure you that it is not possible for this Tribunal to be bribed to subvert justice. It is just impossible. They are made up of people of exemplary integrity. We will do our job with the fear of God and give justice to all according to the petition before us,” the source disclosed.

Contacted, the Labour Party, one of the parties whose Governorship Candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko is laying claim to victory at the April 14 polls stated that the PDP in its desperation to continue to hold unto the stolen mandate which the people of Ondo State gave to Dr Mimiko could do anything.

According to LP’s Director of Press, Mr Kolawole Olabisi: “They lost the election which they rigged in
a brazen manner light armed robbers, they robbed the people of Ondo State of their votes with guns.
“But on our part, we have no iota of doubt in our mind that we will get justice at the Tribunal as we are
sure that the Judges on that Tribunal are men of sterling integrity who cannot be bought over by Agagu’s tarnished dross. Victory, which we were temporarily robbed of, will be given to us by the
Tribunal. We are sure of this and that is why we went before the Tribunal in the first instance," Olabisi
added.