Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship candidate in the August 9 election in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, yesterday threatened to drag Governor Rauf Aregbesola to court over a statement allegedly credited to Aregbesola that he (Omisore) was an ex-convict.
But Governor Aregbesola dared Omisore and challenged him to go to court if he was dissatisfied with the statement.
Reacting to Omisore’s threat through the Commissioner for Information and strategy,Sunday Akere, Aregbesola said Omisore was free to go to court on any issue, saying it was an attempt to distract the government.
In a letter by Omisore’s Lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Adesiyan, in Osogbo, Omisore described the statement allegedly credited to Aregbesola as a “reckless outburst.”
Aregbessola was quoted to have described Omisore as an ex prisoner during a politically rally recently in the state.
However, Omisore called on the Governor to apologise to him formally or face legal action, arguing that the action of the Governor was unexpected of a political office holder like him.
The letter dated 30th April, 2014 reads in part “you may wish to be advised that the fact that you are today a Governor does not mean that legal action cannot be taken against you on civil action.
Omisore advised Aregbesola to retract the statements allegedly credited to him in his own interest before he was dragged to court.
“Senator Omisore was only detained in Agodi prison during his prosecution for alleged role in the death of Chief Bola Ige. He was later discharged and acquitted by a competent court.”
Omisore’s case cannot be compared with that of the National Chairman of your party, Chief Bisi Akande who was prosecuted and convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment by a competent Tribunal established by law in 1984″.
Even if Omisore was convicted and sentenced the governor was not right to call him ‘ex-convict’ because one cannot continue to place a yoke of stigmatization, understood as another form of punishment for an offence, when that offence has already been assuaged by a term of imprisonment. The governor must have to apologize.