OSUN: Election Tribunal Declares Dancing Senator Adeleke winner as APC heads to Appeal Court

The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has held that the petition filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke and the PDP, challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Gboyega Oyetola at the September 2018 governorship election, lacked merit.

NAN reports that the PDP and Adeleke, had filed a petition asking the tribunal to declared 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 declared that he scored the highest lawful votes in the election and should be declared as winner.

However, Oyetola, APC and INEC had 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.

However the court is yet to deliver its judgment on the main suit.

Also in a reaction to the judgement, the All progressive congress in Osun state has said it will be heading to court to appeal the judgment of the tribunal  that declared Sen. Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the September 2018 re-run governorship election in Osun.

Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the APC Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, said in a statement on Friday in Osogbo that the verdict would not stand superior legal scrutiny.

“We are going to appeal the judgment.

“The verdict cannot stand superior legal scrutiny. Therefore we will appeal against it,” Oyatomi said.

The PDP in the state, however, commended the judiciary on what it called a landmark judgment.

Mr. Soji Adagunodo, the Osun PDP Chairman, in his reaction, said the victory was for the people of the state.

Adagunodo said the judgment shows that “we still have men of impeccable character in the judiciary.’’

” Kudos to the Nigerian judiciary and this shows that we still have men of impeccable character in the judiciary.

“Truly, the judiciary is the last hope of common man,’’ Adagunodo said.

Adagunodo said since the APC had decided to appeal the judgment, PDP would await the outcome at the appellate court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (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 rerun election that held on Sept. 27, 2018, was illegal.

The tribunal, therefore, deducted the votes scored by the APC candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, in the rerun after declaring the rerun illegal.

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

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