The election petition tribunal in Osun has sacked the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the July 16 2022 governorship election Ademola Adeleke. The tribunal on Friday ruled that Adeleke did not score lawful votes to qualify him to be Governor of Osun. Headed by Justice Tetse Kume, the tribunal had earlier dismissed the Court of Appeal judgement which said Adeleke was qualified to contest. In an earlier split judgment of the three-man panel, the verdict was in favour of Oyetola after the tribunal said it established over-voting.
In a split judgement of 2-1, the tribunal ruled that Oyetola scored lawful vote and therefore should have been declared the winner of the election.
By its calculations, the final lawful votes scored by Oyetola stood at 314,931
while that of Adeleke stood at 290,666 votes.
There were mixed reactions over the outcome of the tribunal on Friday.
In its reaction, the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress described the judgement as the triumph of justice and truth over falsehood.
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According to the statement from the Acting State Chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the governorship tribunal that gave victory to Oyetola is an indisputable indication that the APC is the dominant political party in the state.
Lawal stated that he never, for once, doubted the victory of Oyetola at the tribunal as the verdict was a confirmation that the APC governorship candidate did not lose the July 16, 2022 election but the vote-count.
The state APC acting chairman observed that the difference in the garnered votes with which Oyetola was declared the winner of the governorship election by the tribunal with a wide margin was enough to prove that the APC candidate won the election conveniently and convincingly.
Lawal stated that with the majority judgement that gave Oyetola victory, it further underscored the fact that the court of law is the last hope of common man as justice was not only served, it was seen to have been glaringly done.
He appreciated the professional expertise of all the lawyers who featured at the tribunal and also lauded the support and loyalty of all the APC members throughout the duration of the suit at the tribunal.
Lawal enjoined all the APC members and their supporters to go about their businesses in peace irrespective of provocation from any quarters.
He saluted the courage of the party members for their continued belief in the ideals of the party which have been igniting their unalloyed support to date.
Lawal advised the leadership of the PDP and their candidate to approach the court for an appeal if they feel dissatisfied with the tribunal judgement that has given victory to Oyetola instead of resorting to self-help which is always counterproductive to the rules of law.
He also expressed gratitude to the entire people of the state for their support and prayers throughout the duration of the matter at the tribunal, promising them that the continuity of qualitative governance by Oyetola that they were used to would soon become their portion in the state.