SaharaReporters earlier reported that the tribunal nullified the election of Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared the former Governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the governorship election conducted on July 16, 2022.
Former Nigerian lawmaker and social critic, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the sacking of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State by the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal as a beheading of peoples’ mandate by judicial voodoo.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the tribunal nullified the election of Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared the former Governor, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the governorship election conducted on July 16, 2022.
Oyetola and the APC had in August 2022 petitioned the tribunal to challenge the election victory of Adeleke.
The former governor, among several issues, contended that there was over-voting in 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state.
On Friday, the Justice Tetse Kume-led panel in its judgment established that there was over-voting on the examination of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) manipulation and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The tribunal 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 and therefore declared that the electoral body, the INEC should withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Adeleke and issue the same to Oyetola.
However, SaharaReporters also reported that Governor Adeleke rejected the judgment of the tribunal, describing it as “an unfair interpretation against the will of majority of voters”.
Reacting to the ruling of the tribunal, Senator Sani described the judgment as a judicial magic and beheading of peoples’ mandate which according to him, is a dangerous signal for the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Sani, who said the ruling marked a sad day for democracy in the country, wrote on his Twitter page saying, “Osun state, a dangerous signal for the 2023 elections. A peoples’ mandate beheaded by Judicial voodoo. Osun state; judicial magic. A sad day for Democracy.”
Osun state;a dangerous signal for the 2023 elections.A peoples mandate beheaded by Judicial voodoo.
— Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) January 27, 2023