PUNCH
BOLA BAMIGBOLA chronicles the legal process that led to the ousting of Ademola Adeleke as the governor of Osun State by the state election tribunal
The second respondent did not score a majority of lawful votes cast for the election. The declaration and return is hereby declared as null and void, the second respondent cannot “go low low and buga won” as duly elected governor of Osun State in the election conducted on July 16 2022, see Kiss Daniel song, Buga,” -Justice Kume.
With these words, Justice Tetsea Kume, the Chairman of the three-member panel sacked Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, and declared Mr Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the July 16 governorship poll while delivering his judgement in the case in Osogbo on Friday.
Oyetola and the APC had approached the tribunal joining the Peoples Democratic Party, Adeleke and the Independent National Electoral Commission, asking the panel to declare the results of the poll null and void. The petitioners raised two issues of forgery and non-compliance with laws and guidelines by INEC in conducting the poll and asked the court to nullify Adeleke’s victory and declare Oyetola the duly elected governor of the state.
During the trial, the petitioners called two witnesses and laid before the panel many documents, while the respondents being INEC, Adeleke and the PDP, jointly called three witnesses and also filed many documents.
Documentary evidence that include; INEC Regulation and Guideline for the election, INEC Manual for Electoral Officials, Forms EC8As, which are election results for Osogbo, Ede North and Ede South Local Government Areas. Others filed include Form EC8As of 10 wards in Egbedore, 11 wards in Ejigbo, 10 wards in Ilesa West and 11 wards in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state. They (documents) were filed before the panel by the petitioners’ legal team led by Mr Lateef Fagbemi.
Testifying before the court, petitioners’ expert witness, Dr Isiaka Olanrewaju, told the tribunal that he established irregularities in the declaration of Adeleke as governor-elect by INEC after analysing the result forms for the election and compared it with the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System.
