Don’t issue certificate to Oyetola pending outcome of appeal – Governor Adeleke tells INEC

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to issue a Certificate of Return to Gboyega Oyetola following a judgement by the election petition tribunal.

It had earlier been reported that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal led by Justice Tetsea Kume sacked Adeleke as governor and declared Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship election.

The judge ruled that the electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The court subsequently deducted the over-voting observed from the votes scored by the candidates and declared that Oyetola won the election, having polled 314,921, while Adeleke’s score came down to 290,266.

He directed INEC to withdraw Adeleke’s certificate of return and issued another one to Oyetola who won a majority of the lawful votes

However, Governor Adeleke in a letter to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, shortly after the tribunal nullified his election as governor, appealed to the commission not to issue the certificate of return to Oyetola pending the outcome of his appeal.

The letter partly read, “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.”

The letter signed by Adeleke’s Counsel, Hashim Abioye, further stated “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.”

Earlier Adeleke had faulted the judgement which sacked him as the legitimately elected governor of Osun State.

The governor who reacted to the ruling in his Ede hometown, vowed to appeal the judgement, describing it as “a miscarriage of justice”.

While urging his supporters to remain calm, Adeleke vowed to appeal the judgement at the Court of Appeal, insisting that he won the July 16 election.

“I call on our people to remain calm. We will appeal the judgement and we are sure justice will be done. Let our people be reassured that we will do everything possible to retain this widely acclaimed mandate,” the governor said in a statement signed by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, on Friday.