Tribunal begins sitting on Oyetola’s election petition against Adeleke INEC

The Election Petition Tribunal is set to begin sitting on Monday, September 26, 2022, to hear the election petition over the recent governorship election in Osun State.

Following his defeat in the July 16 gubernatorial election in Osun State, Governor Gboyega Oyetola filed the petition against the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Oyetola wants the court to cancel the results of 749 polling units because of alleged over-voting and declare him winner of the election.

Oyetola tackles Adeleke: In a statement on Sunday, September 25, 2022, the Chief Press Secretary to Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan explained that his principal’s decision to challenge the governorship election should not be seen as an attempt to question the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said Oyetola’s decision should instead be hailed because it was aimed at deepening the country’s democratic values and its electoral system.

Omipidan maintained that due to the controversy surrounding Adeleke’s academic qualification, the governor-elect was in the first place not eligible.

The statement reads in part: “We are challenging his eligibility to stand for the election in the first instance, having purportedly been awarded a university degree barely 24 days after he acquired an equivalent of an ‘O’ level result.

“It is common knowledge that in 2019, Senator Adeleke faced criminal allegations of examination malpractice. He was granted bail, and then he traveled abroad and did not return until he came for this election.”

Adeleke fires back: However, Adeleke has called on the judiciary to sanction Oyetola and All Progressives Congress (APC) over an alleged subjudice media trial.

He said the petitioner and his team have launched series of media publications alleging that he admitted to over-voting.

His words: “Our party as a law-abiding organisation is, however, disappointed with the recklessness and utter disregard of Governor Oyetola and his team for the integrity and credibility of the judicial process. In the last few weeks, the petitioner has launched a series of media publications, first alleging false admission to over-voting by defendants, misrepresenting to the public the fillings of defendants, alleging complicity of the electoral commission through doctoring of court fillings, and lately creating falsified election results to purportedly claim victory.”

“As much as we have attempted to correct the counterfeited claims being an interested party, Oyetola and his team are so far incorrigible as they persist in their nefarious conduct of wilful pervasion of facts. We have therefore come to the conclusion that ongoing election data manipulation in the public domain, if left unchecked by the tribunal, is capable of plunging the state into conflict ahead of the November 27 transfer of power.

As Tribunal begins sitting, Adeleke urged Oyetola to demonstrate a measure of integrity by allowing the court to treat his petition.