Tribunal declares Ademola Adeleke winner of Osun 2018 election

The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has declared Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party as winner of the September 2018 election in the state.

The 3-man tribunal upheld the petitions filed by Adeleke and the PDP, challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the September 2018 governorship election.

The tribunal had earlier dismissed the objections of the APC and Oyetola. It said Adeleke’s petition has merit. The tribunal also declared the rerun election as illegal.

The PDP and Adeleke, had filed a petition asking the tribunal to declare that he polled the highest lawful votes and should be declared the winner.

But Oyetola, APC and INEC had filed their notices of preliminary objection contending among others that the petition was incompetent and that the court lacked jurisdiction.

A three -member panel of the tribunal , dismissed the objections filed by Gov. Oyetola, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Both Adeleke and the PDP in their different petitions had urged the tribunal to declare that he scored the highest lawful votes in the election and should be declared as winner.

However, Oyetola, APC and INEC filed their notices of preliminary objection against the petition on the grounds that the petition is incompetent adding that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the petition.

Delivering the‎ lead ruling of the three-man tribunal, Chairman Ibrahim Sirajo, held that the objections were misconceived and struck them out.

The Tribunal held that the CTC should and must be an exact replica of the EC8A pink copies.

The discrepancies must therefore be explained and justified by INEC.

In this instance, the tribunal held, INEC failed to explain nor justify the alterations and that they failed to call any witness to justify the alterations.

The tribunal held that the attempt to explain the alterations on the basis of mere corrections of errors is not acceptable and the fact that the said errors were consistently made in the disputed areas means it was a deliberate action taken.

– Wild jubilation in Adeleke’s home town in Osun –

There was wild jubilation in Ede, Osun, the home town of Sen. Ademola Adeleke on Friday, following the tribunal judgement which upheld his election.

The tribunal which sat in Abuja had declared Adeleke winner of the Sept. 2018 governorship election in Osun.

Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who was in the town, reports that supporters of the Peoples Democratuc Party (PDP) as well people of Ede were seen dancing and singing victory song.

At the country home of Adeleke, large crowd were seen within and outside his premises singing and dancing.

Okada riders, in their large numbers, were also seen using their motorcycles to display different skills to celebrate the victory.

Tribunal judgment already on appeal, Gov. Oyetola

Speaking on the victory, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, Adeleke’s elder sister, commended the judiciary for retrieving the ‘ stolen mandate ‘.

Adeleke-Sanni, who said she dedicated the victory to God and his late brother Sen. Isiaka Adeleke, said the victory was well-deserved.

“We thank God for returning our stolen mandate.

“It is not by our might or power but by the grace of God that we have the mandate back,” she said.

She, however, commended the people of Ede for standing with the family during the trying period, urging them to continue to stand with them.

NAN reports that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja had on Friday declared Adeleke winner.

The three-member panel said during its ruling that the re-run election that held on Sept. 27, 2018, was illegal.

The tribunal, therefore, deducted the votes scored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, in the re-run after declaring it illegal.

The tribunal said Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on Sept. 22 and the re-run that INEC devised to reach a conclusion a week later was illegal.

“The declaration of Oyetola is null and void,” the tribunal ruled in a majority decision of two with one member dissenting.

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