The Osun Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo, Osun State capital on Friday ordered that the certificate of returns given to the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke be withdrawn with immediate effect.
While annulling the July 16 Osun governorship poll results, the Presiding Judge of the panel, Justice Tertsea Kume held that the Independent National Electoral Commission did not comply with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Electoral Act as amended.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, the winner of the July 16 election.
The Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, announced that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes, beating the incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who garnered 375,027 votes in the keenly contested race.
In the election held across 3,763 polling units in the 30 local government areas in Osun, the PDP won 17 of the LGAs, while the APC recorded more votes in the remaining 13. The PDP won in Ede North, Ede South, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Egbedore, Odo Otin, Osogbo, Ila, Atakumosa West, Olorunda, Ilesa West, Obokun, Oriade, Orolu, Ife North, Irepodun, and Ejigbo LGAs.
The APC, on the other hand, won in Boripe, Ilesa East, Ayedire, Ifedayo, Ife Central, Ayedaade, Iwo, Olaoluwa, Isokan, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Ife South, and Ife East LGAs. Out of the 1,955,657 registered voters in the state, 1,479,595 Permanent Voter Cards were collected before the election
Gov. Adeleke rejects judgement, heads to Appeal Court
Meanwhile Governor Ademola Adeleke has rejected the ruling of the tribunal.
Reacting to the ruling in a statement by his media aide, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke stated that he would appeal the ruling.
Adeleke described the judgement of the governorship tribunal as “a miscarriage of justice”, vowing to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
The governor faulted the resolution of the over-voting question in favour of Oyetola, calling it “an unfair interpretation against the will of majority of voters”
While urging his supporters to remain calm, Governor Adeleke vowed to appeal the judgement at the Court of Appeal, insisting he remains the rightful winner of the July 16 election.
“I call on our people to remain calm. We will appeal the judgement and we are sure justice will be done. Let our people be reassured that we will do everything possible to retain this widely acclaimed mandate“, Governor Adeleke declared.
Governor Adeleke has merely stay in office for 62 days.