Comrade Daniel Onjeh, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Benue South Senatorial District in the 2023 elections and former Chairman of the Governing Board of the Project Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, has congratulated his lawyer and friend, Barrister Adetunji Oso, on his elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

In a statement issued on Thursday, Onjeh recalled that his relationship with Barrister Oso began in 2011 after his House of Representatives election, which he challenged at the tribunal.

He explained that he was introduced to Oso by his friend, a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, whom he had known from their student union days.

While Onjeh served as President of the West African Students’ Union during his studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, Ojo was President of Nigerian Students in the United Kingdom during his master’s studies abroad. Ojo currently serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). It was through him that Onjeh first met Barrister Oso, who at the time was already a respected legal practitioner.

Onjeh narrated how Oso handled his election case at the Benue State Election Petition Tribunal in Makurdi. Although the case was lost at the tribunal, Oso won at the Court of Appeal. Instead of declaring him outrightly, the appellate court directed that the matter should be heard afresh in what is known as a trial de novo.

The case returned to the tribunal, and judgment was reserved, but before it was delivered, the Supreme Court gave a landmark ruling on the 180-day limitation for election petition trials. By the time the matter was revisited, it was dismissed on the grounds that the period allowed for prosecution had elapsed.

He stated that the experience cemented a bond of trust and respect between them, which deepened further during his 2015 senatorial contest against former Senate President David Mark.

According to Onjeh, Barrister Oso once again stood firmly by his side, and through his brilliance and courage, secured the landmark Court of Appeal judgment that ordered a rerun election between him and Senator Mark. “That moment shaped the political history of Benue South, and Oso’s role in it will never be forgotten,” Onjeh said.

He described Oso, who later served as Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ondo State Branch, between 2018 and 2020, as a trusted friend, a defender of justice, and a man of resilience, adding that his elevation to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is proof that integrity and hard work truly pay.

“Congratulations, Adetunji Oso,” Onjeh concluded in his message of goodwill.

Vanguard News