Gov Adeleke Writes INEC, Calls For Calm As Protest Rages

Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to issue a Certificate of Return (CoR) to Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola just as he faulted the verdict of the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

In a letter to the electoral umpire chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Adeleke, LEADERSHIP gathered, urged INEC not to issue any Certificate of Return to Oyetola pending the outcome of his appeal at the Court of Appeal.

The letter partly signed by a lawyer to Adeleke, Hashim Abioye, reads: “As Solicitors to the 2nd Respondent, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, we humbly write to notify you that consequent upon the dissatisfaction of the 2nd Respondent by the majority decision of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on January 27, 2023, the 2nd Respondent has applied for a certified true copy of the judgement to enable him pursue his appeal against the said judgement.

“In the light of the foregoing, we humbly ask you to apply the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, by not issuing any certificate (of) return to the 1st petitioner in the petition pending the outcome of the appeal which we are confident will be favourable to our client.”

Recall that the Tribunal declared the APC governorship candidate in the Juky 16, 2022 election, Gboyega Oyetola, as winner of the exercise, ordering INEC to withdraw the Certificate of Return earlier issued to the PDP candidate, Governor Adeleke.

Meanwhile, in a broadcast to the people of the State, Governor Adeleke insisted that there was no majority judgement delivered by the Tribunal.

His words: “Two members of the tribunal delivered opposing judgement, the chairman and a member, the member two did not deliver any judgement, she abstained.

“The chairman’s judgement affirmed the claim of over voting, while the member one judgement agreed with our position as captured by the BIVAS machine.”

Adeleke maintained that the chairman’s judgement on over voting was unfortunate and a miscarriage of justice.

He noted that he has instructed his lawyers to appeal the judgement as he remained the governor of Osun State.

In the light of protests that greeted the Tribunal’s judgement, the governor called on the people of Osun State to remain calm and go about their normal day to day activities peacefully.

LEADERSHIP reports that residents in their numbers trooped out in Osogbo, Ede, Ilobu and Ilesa towns on Saturday to protest against the outcome of the verdict of the Tribunal, which delivered on Friday.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards carried by the protesters include: “This is miscarriage of justice” “On Imole mandate we stand” “Osun Citizens Reject Oyetola” “Imole has come to stay”.

Men of Osun State Police Command were combat-ready on ground to forestall violence and breakdown of law and order.

The operatives had to fire into the air at Aregbe junction along Gbongan Road to scare away group of protesters.