Tribunal Orders INEC To Issue Certificate Of Return To Adeleke As Duly Elected Osun Governor

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has ordered INEC to issue Certificate of Return as duly elected governor to Senator Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2018 election.

The three-man tribunal upheld the petitions filed by Adeleke and the PDP, challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress and Gboyega Oyetola at the September 2018 governorship election.

The tribunal had earlier dismissed the objections of the APC and Oyetola, insisting that Adeleke’s petition had merit.

The tribunal also declared the rerun election as illegal.

NAN reports that the PDP and Adeleke had filed a petition asking the tribunal to declare that Adeleke 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.

The tribunal also held that the supplementary election held by INEC in seven cancelled units on September 22, 2018, was null and void.

The tribunal ruled that the Returning Officer who cancelled the results had no power to do so.