Oyetola: PDP Supporters Protest, Reject Osun Tribunal’s Verdict

Hours after the Election Petition Tribunal annulled the July 16 Osun State governorship election results and declared former governor Gboyega Oyetola the winner of the poll, some Peoples Democratic Party supporters stormed the streets to protest against the judgement.

The Independent National Electoral Commission did not abide by the rules of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution as well as the Electoral Act as amended, the tribunal said while invalidating the results of the Osun governorship election on July 16.

Objectv Media reports that the Peoples Democratic Party’s nominee for governor, Adeleke, was proclaimed the victor of the July 16 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission. 

Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the University of Lagos’ Vice-Chancellor and the election’s returning officer, declared that Adeleke had received a total of 403,371 votes, defeating APC’s Adegboyega Oyetola, the current governor, who had received 375,027 votes in the hotly contested race.

But while delivering a majority decision judgement on Friday, Justice Tetsea Kume ruled that INEC did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

He then subtracted the observed overvoting from the votes received by the candidates, declaring Oyetola the victor with a total of 314, 921 votes to Adeleke’s 290, 266. 

Having secured the majority of the valid votes, he instructed INEC to revoke Adeleke’s certificate of return and issue a new one to Oyetola.

The PDP supporters reportedly marched from the Jaleyemi neighborhood to assemble at Orita Olaiya, under the flyover, on Friday to express their displeasure with the verdict and what they called the “injustice.” 

The demonstrators, who carried several placards with a variety of inscriptions, insisted Adeleke had won the election.

Some of the inscriptions read, “Tribunal Panel is not fair in their judgement’, ‘Imole has come to stay’, ‘Osun Citizens reject Oyetola’, ‘This is Injustice to Ademola Adeleke’, ‘In Imole’s mandate we stand’, among others.