Following the declaration of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the true winner of the September 22 governorship election in Osun State by the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, Court has ordered immediate withdrawal of certificate of return from Mr. Gboyega Oyetola and issue a fresh certificate to Ademola Adeleke as the Governor-Elect.
Tribunal had earlier noted the discrepancies between the EC8A Pink copies tendered by PDP and the CTC issued by INEC.
The Tribunal holds that the CTC should and must be an exact replica of the EC8A pink copies. The discrepancies must therefore be explained and justified by the 1st respondent ; INEC.
In this instant INEC failed to explain nor justify the alterations and that they failed to call any witness to justify the alterations.
It therefore holds that the alterations must have been carried out in the absence of the Party Agents to which the Pink copies were issued.
It holds further that the attempt to explain the alterations on the basis of mere corrections of errors is not acceptable and the fact that the said errors were consistently made in the disputed areas means it was a deliberate action taken.
PDP’s allegations of doctoring of results is hereby established and upheld by the Tribunal.
The tribunal holds that the Cancellation of 7 units during the September 22nd election is unlawful, adding that the rerun election cannot stand, as it is a product of illegality.
Justice Peter Obiora, who read the lead judgement, voided the supplementary election held on September 27, 2018 on the ground that the state returning officer has no power to have cancelled election in seven polling units in four Local Government and order a rerun.
The tribunal, in the majority judgment, also cancelled results from 17 polling units on grounds of substantial non-compliance with Electoral Act.
I thank and appreciate the tribunal judges, who declared Adeleke as a winner of 22 September 2018 gubernatorial election held in Osun state,may God Almighty be with you all.