The immediate past governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, says the judgment of the Osun Election Petition Tribunal recognising him as the legitimate governor of Osun State on 16 July 2022 will deepen Nigeria’s electoral system and democracy.
The three-man election Tribunal chaired by Justice Tertsea Kume on Friday in Osogbo, the state capital, ruled that Oyetola is the duly elected governor of the state and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a certificate of return to Oyetola while declaring the result that produced Ademola Adeleke as governor as null and void.
Oyetola, in a statement, said his victory at the Tribunal ushers in a new dawn for Osun State, describing it as a no victor, no vanquished situation.
“The Tribunal judgement delivered yesterday on our petition ushers in a new dawn of renewed hope and recovery for Osun State. I see it as a no victor and no vanquished situation for our party members, but rather a collective victory for the people of Osun and Nigeria’s democracy,” an elated Oyetola wrote.
“I’m happy that the Tribunal has been able to lay to rest the controversy over the real winner of the July 16 Osun governorship election. INEC would no doubt be the greatest beneficiary of this ruling, as it would help it correct some of the anomalies that have been pointed out through the ruling, a thing that was our motivation in the first instance.
“Like I have always emphasised, our decision to approach the Tribunal was not to impugn on the integrity of INEC, but to help deepen our electoral system and our democracy.”
Oyetola further said the judgment in his favour would encourage his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave no stone turned in ensuring that the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu emerges victorious at the presidential poll next month.
“I salute our party faithful and Osun citizens who stood firm to weather the storm for their courage and loyalty. With this victory, we’ve become more energised to redouble our efforts towards ensuring victory for our presidential candidate and all our National Assembly candidates, including all the State House of Assembly candidates in the February and March elections respectively.
While urging the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to respect the decision of the Tribunal, Oyetola urged his party members and supporters to resist any form of provocation by the opposition party.
“I thank our legal team for a diligent job, just as I also thank the Tribunal for doing justice to our petition I call on our party members & supporters not to react to any form of provocation from any quarter. Let’s continue to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding. Equally, I appeal to members of the PDP not to resort to self-help, instead allow the judicial process to run its full course,” he said.
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