The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Justice Folahanmi Oloyede of conniving with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to destroy the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The judge, who is currently serving in Osun State Judiciary, had, in a petition sent to the House of Assembly, asked the lawmakers to impeach the governor who she accused of financial recklessness.
But the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC in Osun State, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday, said the judge had pitched her tent with the opposition in the state to bring down the governor, using the opportunity of the financial crisis in the country.
The ruling party said Oloyode must resign her position as a judge before she could be allowed to mount public destructive campaign against Aregbesola who was her boss in government.
The statement read in part, “We know a bit of the antecedents of the honorable judge in relationship with the PDP government that Aregbesola took over from. It is probable she has not gotten over her shock as a result of that event.
“Now that the opportunity created by the tragedy facing Nigeria because of 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.
“Justice Oloyede can no longer be trusted because she has betrayed trust in government and therefore has positioned herself with the opposition to destroy the very same government she serves. Her conduct is unacceptable.”
The ruling party said Oloyede should resign as a judge because she had demonstrated hatred toward the governor adding that she would not be able to dispense justice if any case involving the government was brought before her.
The APC claimed that Oloyede clearly showed her hatred for the governor in her petition to the House of Assembly, saying with this kind of feeling towards Aregbesola, who was her boss, she ought to resign to allow her unhindered freedom to play politics.
“Whereas the Judge, as a free citizen, has rights to express herself on matters affecting the country and her environment, but 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.
“Any public officer at that level of responsibility and trust owes loyalty to the state and that if for any reason the public officer wants to take up arms against the government, he or she must quit because government is about collective responsibility.
“But now that Justice Oloyede is distancing herself from the government of the state of Osun with the kind of venom and hate language profusely used in her petition, her continued stay in government is no longer tenable because she is irredeemably hateful of the person of the state governor and would never be able to dispense justice any longer in cases where the government is involved,” the APC added.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of Ayedire Local Government, Osun State, Mr. Gbenga Ogunkanmi, has asked the National Judicial Council to probe the activities of the judge.
The council boss, who was appointed by Aregbesola, said the judge had intentionally dragged the judiciary into the mud by calling for the impeachment of the head of another arm of government. Punch
