By Bayo Bernard
Exactly six months after the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Ademola Adeleke vowed to reclaim his mandate, the Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja has declared him winner of the election held on September 2018.
The development came on the heels of preparation for tomorrow’s supplementary elections in six states across the country.
The two political parties are standing head-to-head as INEC conducts election in Kano, Bauchi, Plateau including Benue. Election in Adamawa has been postponed to a future date after court ruling to that effect.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had declared winner the candidate of the APC, Gboyega Oyetola of the election.
Oyetola was declared winner following a supplementary election conducted by the electoral umpire when no clear winner emerged from the first ballot.
But the three member bench presided over by Justice Ibrahim Sirajo delivered the judgment that upturned Oyetola victory at the federal high court, Apo Abuja on Friday.
The tribunal based its judgment on the 20 prayers sought by Senator Adeleke, among which is that he should be declared winner of the election.
Justice Peter Obiora, who read the judgement said it was wring for the INEC to declare the APC candidate winner in the first instance.
“In the final analysis, having held that the cancellation was illegal based on non-compliance, it’s out decision that the petitioner won the election of the Osun State Gubernatorial Election,” Justice Obiora said.
The tribunal also dismissed all the grounds raised by Oyetola in the preliminary objection as well as all grounds in the preliminary objections by his party, APC.
