Osun Electoral Tribunal sacks Adeleke

The Osun Election Petitions Tribunal has sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke, bringing to an end his stay in office, just after 62 days!

The tribunal on Friday held that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not comply with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Electoral Act as amended.

INEC had declared Adeleke, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, the winner of the July 16 election.

The Returning Officer for the election and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, announced that Adeleke got a total of 403,371 votes, beating the incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who garnered 375,027 votes, in the keenly contested race.

READ: APC, Oyetola ‘labour in vain’ as Adeleke wins Osun governorship election

Delivering the judgment, Justice Tertse Kume ruled that INEC did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

He subsequently deducted the over-voting observed from the votes scored by the candidates and declared that Oyetola won the election, having polled 314, 921, while Adeleke’s score came down to 290, 266.

The tribunal in a split decision of two-to-one ordered INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Adeleke and issue same to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.