How Osun lost Adeleke’s Senatorial seat to PDP, by group founder

…K-RAD flays detention of APC leader, Diekola

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By Femi SHODUNKE

NIGERIA: THE Founder of Tiwa n Tiwa L’Osun, Mr. ‘Kunle Rasheed Adegoke, has identified internal crisis as one of the factors that led to the lost of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Osun West Senatorial District election.

Mr. Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who is the younger brother to the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, the ex-Governor and the last occupant, had defeated the APC candidate in last Saturday’s by-election.

Adegoke, who was responding to the arrest and detention of an APC leader, Alhaji Fatai Diekola, appealed to leaders of APC at the state and national levels to end crisis within the party.

He implored the magistrate trying Diekola to handle the matter with appropriate discretion in granting him bail.

“While we appeal to our fellow citizens to maintain peace and await the judicial decision on the 18th day of July, we appeal to our party leaders – at both the state and national levels – to wade into the various crises bedevilling the party which cannot be excused as one of the primal causes of our loss in the just-concluded Osun West Senatorial by-election of last Saturday in such a dismal manner,” Adegoke, also known as K-RAD, said.

He stressed: “A stitch in time saves nine, as we cannot approach the 2018 gubernatorial election in a factionalized condition.”

The group leader also said: “The recent developments in our great State, the State of Osun, concerning the arrest and detention of Alhaji Fatai Diekola, a prominent leader of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC), have generated enough furore within the populace and on the ever-volatile social media, while accusations and counter-accusations are being traded by supporters of various camps that exist within the party.

“Due to this ugly development which is capable of further polarising the party, it is considered imperative for us to call for restraint and appeal to all leaders and members of our party to be introspective.”

“While it is the duty of the police and the State as an entity to maintain peace and order and prosecute any suspected offender, it is disturbing to learn that the magistrate before whom Alhaji Fatai Diekola and others were arraigned, refused to grant an oral application for bail; an act likely to cause breach of peace, insisting that a written application be filed by counsel representing the defendants,” he further said.

Adegoke added: “We understand that it was on that basis that His Worship adjourned the session to the 18th day of July, 2017 when the court will hear the written application, which is to be filed by the defendants’ counsel and subsequently ordered the defendants to be remanded in Ilesha Prisons in the time being.

“It must be conceded that it is within the discretion of a magistrate to decide in what form an application before him should come; it must also be noted that a proper exercise of discretion on this issue should have weighed in favour of considering the oral application as it came.”

“The decision of the Magistrate in this wise, can only give rise to speculation of alleged external influence which it has, probably, unwittingly generated, knowing the flexibility of our society towards such,” he maintained.

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