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, VANGUARD reports.
The Tribunal also ruled that PDP and Adeleke proved that it was the state Returning Officer who cancelled the results in 7 Polling Units, adding that the petitioners also proved that the Returning Officer has no power to cancel election results of a polling unit.
The Tribunal also deducted 2,029 votes from APC scores and 1,246 votes from PDP votes in 17 polling units where there was non compliance.
Delivering the judgement, the panel had a split decision. While two members (majority judgment) ruled in favour of PDP and Ademola; the chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo (minority judgment), ruled in favour of APC and Oyetola.
TheLagostimes recalls that the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate in the election had filed the petition urging 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.
Delivering the lead ruling of the three-man tribunal, Justice Peter Obi, held that the objections were misconceived and struck them out.