Counsel to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola at the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN) has said he did not see the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore against his client, challenging the result of the August 9 governorship election in the state scaling through the pre-hearing stage if the preliminary objections were taken.

Olujimi was reacting to the comment of the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Adejare Bello that his party would go as far as Supreme Court.

The sitting of the tribunal was stalled on Monday as one of the tribunal members fell sick, even as the tribunal had fixed Monday for ruling on an application of the PDP and Omisore to hear the preliminary objection based on merit against the petition along with the substantive suit.

However, the APC and Aregbesola argued that the objection must be heard at the pre-hearing stage in accordance with the law.

While counsels for parties in the matter were waiting for the ruling on the issue, one of the tribunal’s clerks came to announce that the tribunal would no longer be able to sit because a member of the panel was sick.

Bello, in a subsequent interview with journalists said it is only the Supreme Court that has the final say on whether Aregbesola won the election or not.

Olujinmi said with Bello’s comment, it has shown that the petitioners knew the weakness of their petition.

“Saying that they want to go to Supreme Court shows that they knew the weakness of their case because I expected them to have said at the beginning that they were very sure of their case.”