The Osun State Governorship election petitions tribunal has declared Ademola Adeleke’s election as the state’s governor invalid.
The tribunal ruled on Friday that Gboyega Oyetola was the legally elected governor of the state.
The tribunal held that the governorship election was characterized by over-voting, adding that after deducting the excessive votes, Oyetola’s figures increased to 314, 921, while Adeleke’s decreased to 290, 266.
As a result, the tribunal, presided over by Justice Terste Kume, directed INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Adeleke and his deputy, Kola Adewusi. It directed that the return certificate be issued to Oyetola instead.
Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Gboyega Oyetola in the state election on July 16, 2023.
Adeleke was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after receiving 403,371 votes to Oyetola’s 375,027 votes.
Despite the fact that 13 other candidates ran in the Osun governorship election, Adeleke and Oyetola dominated.
In the state governorship election, the PDP candidate won 17 of the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Oyetola of the APC, on the other hand, took the remaining 13 LGAs.
Oyetola had filed a petition at the tribunal challenging Adeleke’s election victory after being dissatisfied with the electoral umpire’s decision.
He requested that the election be declared null and void, citing alleged election rigging, infractions in some polling units, and the authenticity of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate presented by the PDP candidate, among other grounds.
