Sidebar

Exclusive Reports

28
Thu, Mar

Adeleke Faults Tribunal’s Judgment, Vows To Appeal

Featured
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has faulted the judgment of the governorship election petitions tribunal describing it as “a miscarriage of justice”, vowing to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal. The State Governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Osogbo nullified the election of Adeleke as Governor of the state. In its ruling on Friday, the tribunal declared Gboyega Oyetola the validly elected governor of the state. In August 2022, Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) petitioned the tribunal to challenge the election victory of Adeleke. Oyetola also challenged Adeleke’s eligibility to contest the election.


Among several issues, Oyetola went to the tribunal that there was over voting in 749 polling units across 10 LGAs of the state.

Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeated Oyetola in the July 16, 2023 poll in the state, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke the winner after polling 403,371 against Oyetola’s 375,027 votes.

While delivering Friday’s judgment, two out of a three-member panel of the tribunal held that the petitioner was able to prove that there was over-voting in some of the polling units.

Tetsea Kume, who read the majority decision held that INEC did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the electoral act.

Kume declared that Oyetola won the election, having polled 314, 921 defeating Adeleke who scored 290, 266.

He ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Adeleke and issue a fresh one to Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun.

Reacting to the ruling from his country home in Ede town, Adeleke faulted the resolution of the over-voting question in favour of Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, calling it “an unfair interpretation against the will of majority of voters”

Adeleke encouraged his supporters to remain calm, vowing to appeal the judgement at the Court of Appeal. He insisted that he remained the rightful winner of the July 16 election.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS