BY DAMOLA EMMANUEL
The Crest can report authoritatively that Senator Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, is off the hook. He will contest the election.
The reprieve, though temporary, came the way of the dancing senator, Wednesday evening, as President Muhammadu Buhari exhibited good statesmanship by ordering the police to stay action in the case of examination malpractice it filed against Adeleke at the Federal High Court, Abuja, earlier in the day.
A trustworthy source told The Crest in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, that Buhari ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to suspend action on the matter pending the conclusion of Saturday’s vote.
The source said the President decided to wade into the matter because of its proximity to the poll and the fear that if the Police was allowed to go ahead with the case, Adeleke, though already on the ballot, may be disqualified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“The Presidential ‘amnesty’ for Adeleke became necessary because of the fear that people may misconstrue the police action as political vendetta,” the source confided in The Crest.
“Even though the police is justified to charge anyone that contravenes the law to court whenever it concludes investigation and feels it has enough evidence for diligent prosecution, the President felt people would read all kinds of meanings to it. They will insinuate all kinds of things.
“It is to avoid that that made President Buhari to intervene. Besides, he wants a level playing field for all the candidates, much as he covets victory for his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Saturday. After Saturday, and irrespective of the outcome of the election, the case can resume.”
