A human rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ), has berated human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, for his alleged comments on the rulinf of the Osun Governorship Petition Tribunal.

CHRSJ advised Falana to also refrain from acting as a judge for the immediate past governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Prograssives Congress (APC), in the Osun governorship legal battle between incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP and Oyetola.

The tribunal, had in its verdict, nullified the victory of Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke in the July 16^th, 2022 governorship poll, when it held that Adeleke reaped bountifully from over voting in over 700 polling units.

The tribunal further declared Oyetola as the winner of the poll after subtracting the alleged surplus votes credited to Adeleke and held that Oyetola scored the highest lawful votes cast during the Osun guber poll.

Commenting on the tribunal judgement which CHRSJ referred to as “Buga Judgement,” Falana reportedly said during a television programme that it would be a daunting task for both the Appeal and Supreme Courts to upturn the tribunal verdict.

The group quoted Falana as saying: “The Tribunal sacked Adeleke for over-voting at over 700 polling units in the governorship election and declared the former governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, as the winner of the July 16, 2022, gubernatorial election.

“What the voters in those areas have to do is to sue INEC for damages that you have wasted our votes. Looking at the judgement, I believe very strongly that it is going to be a daunting task to impeach the judgement. INEC has to be held completely responsible for what happened.”

Reacting to Falana’s views, CHRSJ maintained that the human rights lawyer was pre-empting the superior courts, characterizing his comments and prejudicial.

CHSRJ, in a statement made available to the media on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, the group disagreed with the Falana’s position, insisting that going against the Osun ‘Buga’ Tribunal Judgement was “the most easiest way for both Appellate and Supreme Courts, to save the nation’s judiciary, the last hope of common man, from total collapsed.”

While warning Falana against preempting the outcome of the case when it goes to the both the Appeal and Supreme Courts, CHRSJ enjoined the Courts “to separate the ‘Buga’ Tribunal Judgement from real judgement by upholding the truth and justice inherent in the Minority Judgement on the matter,” adding that the tribunal’s judgement was based on emotion, not facts. It therefore warned that should the Courts do otherwise, posterity would not be kind to the justices of the two superior courts.

The group also warned Falana against prejudicing the outcome of the case in the Appeal and Supreme Courts, as did Oyetola and the Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Timothy Owoeye, who allegedly prejudiced the matter while it was still pending at the Lower Tribunal, saying that the ‘Buga’ judgement “was not acceptable to the good people of Osun State” who freely gave four years mandate to Governor Adeleke on July 16^th, 2022.

“It is very unfortunate that Barrister Femi Falana could be on the side of imperial feudal lords than on the side of Osun masses who totally rejected former Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the poll on July 16^th, 2022.

“As a stakeholder in the Nigeria Project, especially, as a friend of the Court (Amicus Curiae); we are still not coming to the terms with the tribunal judgement, when the emotion became the norm for the judicial officers to determine a case before them, instead of the weight of evidential proofs beyond reasonable doubt,” the statement read in part.

The group expressed hope that truth would always prevail over falsehood.

CHRSJ gave indication that it would soon write the National Judicial Council (NJC), anti- graft agencies and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) “to expose what transpired behind the bar on the subject matter,” while the matter lasted at the tribunal.

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