Aregbesola: APC demands judge’s resignation over impeachment call

The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has asked
Justice Folahanmi Oloyede to resign her position as a
member of the bench in the state over a petition she
submitted to the Osun State House of Assembly, which
seeks the impeachment of the state governor over
financial recklessness.
Justice Oloyede had last week petitioned the Assembly
over the unpaid salaries of the state workers and
pensioners.
In a statement on Sunday by its Director of Publicity,
Kunle Oyatomi, the APC described the judge’s petition
as “significantly flawed because it is a bogus rehearsal
of all the baseless allegations made by the Peoples
Democratic Party in recent times, against the
Aregbesola administration.”
It accused the judge of ganging up with the opposition
to destroy the state government.
The APC noted that any public officer in the state owes
loyalty to the state and that the government is a
collective responsibility.
According to the APC, Justice Oloyede has grossly
abused the privileges of her office by using the platform
of the state’s judiciary to mount pressure on the state
governor.
The statement read, “Whereas the judge, as a free
citizen, has the right to express herself on matters
affecting the country and her environment, as a judge of
the state high court, she is ethically and morally
restrained from making pronouncements that would be
prejudicial to the administration of justice.”
The party, therefore, asked her to resign immediately
“so that she will be free to pursue her delight outside
the platform of the government.”
The party said the judge was loyal to the previous PDP
government in the state.
The APC added, “We know a bit of the antecedents of
the honourable judge in relation to the PDP government
that Aregbesola took over from. It is probable she has
not got over the shock as a result of that event.
“With the opportunity created by the tragedy facing
Nigeria because of the PDP’s monstrous pillage of the
country’s treasury, Justice Oloyede may simply be
seeking a pound of flesh from the governor, to avenge
her loss of relevance as a PDP supporter.
“We make bold to assert that Justice Oloyede’s petition
is a ‘hate’ document laced with puerile sentiments and
emotive overflow that could only come from a soul
burdened with destructive hatred.”
In a separate statement, the Executive Secretary,
Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State, Mr.
Gbenga Ogunkanmi, asked the National Judicial Council
to probe the activities of Justice Oloyede.
According to a statement on Sunday, the council boss
made the remark while addressing members of the APC
at a monthly meeting of the party in Ile-Ogbo, Osun
State.
Ogunkanmi said that Justice Oloyede’s action
contravened Rule 1 (a) and 3 (b) of the code of
conduct for judicial officers in Nigeria.
Ogunkanmi, who absolved Aregbesola of alleged
mismanagement of the state’s resources, said the NJC
should restore the people’s confidence in the judiciary
by sanctioning Oloyede as a deterrent to other judicial
officers.
The council chairman said the call for Aregbesola’s
impeachment was capable of inciting members of the
public against the governor.
Also, a pan-Yoruba group, Oodua Nationalist Coalition,
called on Oloyede to resign from the judiciary in the
state.
ONAC, which is a coalition of several pan-Yoruba
groups said since the judge was ready to defend the
allegations made against Aregbesola, it is logical for
the petitioner to resign from the bench for her to be
able to defend her allegations without “institutional
bias.”
The group, in a statement by its deputy chairman,
Adeyemi Atiba, said the allegations raised by the judge
would have full judicial and moral weight if only she
resigns to defend those allegations in court.
The statement read, “We urge Justice Oloyede to
resign. There are serious legal and moral issues
involved in the allegations raised by the judge. The best
thing for her to do is to resign. Her resignation from the
bench is necessary because we do not expect her to be
a member of the same judicial institution that is
expected to hear the allegations she has raised.
“She cannot be a sitting judge at the same time giving
evidence in any court of competent jurisdiction or panel
that the House of Assembly may wish to constitute.”