Osun Election: Adeleke Challenges Oyetola’s Victory, Asks Tribunal To Declare Him Governor

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has asked the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo to declare him the winner of the governorship election in the state.

Senator Adeleke made the prayer on Tuesday when he filed a petition at the tribunal to challenge the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and governor-elect, Mr Gboyega Oyetola.

He was represented at the tribunal by his running mate in the poll, Mr Albert Adeogun.

The 593-page petition was filed by one of the counsels to the PDP and its candidate, Mr Kanu Agabi.

The lawmaker and his party asked the tribunal led by Justice T.A. Igoche to nullify the victory of the governor-elect in the September 22 election.

They also asked the tribunal to declare the senator the winner of the poll because he polled the highest number of lawful votes cast and met other requirements of the law.

The PDP chairman in Osun, Mr Soji Adagunodo, and other party members were among those who stormed the tribunal in the state capital.

Mr Adagunodo told reporters that he was confident that his party would reclaim its mandate.

Senator Adeleke filed the petition at the tribunal barely three weeks after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Oyetola as the winner of the Osun governorship election.

The APC candidate had trailed the senator by 353 votes before going into a supplementary election which held in seven polling units in the state on September 27.

However, his votes from the supplementary poll were enough to help him overturn the deficit and be returned as winner of the keenly contested election.

INEC consequently declared Oyetola the winner of the election.

The final votes announced by the electoral body showed that Oyetola got 255,505 votes, while Adeleke polled 255,023 votes.