THE Osun State governorship elections petitions tribunal sitting in Abuja, has declared Ademola Adeleke, winner of the gubernatorial election held in the state in September 2018.

Adeleke, a former senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, contested on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The three-man tribunal, headed by Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, was moved to Abuja in November 2018, after it was initially inaugurated in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election, but the tribunal, on Friday, ordered that the certificate of return issued to him should be withdrawn.

Reading the judgement on behalf of the tribunal on Friday, Justice Peter Obiora, a member of the tribunal said: “In the final analysis, having held that the cancellation was illegal based on non-compliance, it is our decision that the petitioners won the election of the Osun State Gubernatorial Election.”

The tribunal had earlier dismissed all grounds raised in the preliminary objection filed by Oyetola and the APC.

During the trial, Adeleke and the PDP called 80 witnesses, Oyetola and the APC called 13 witnesses, while INEC did not call any witness.

The Returning Officer, Prof Joseph Fuwape, collation of the results of the supplementary election in seven polling units.

Oyetola came back from a losing position to emerge victorious in the election after the first round of voting was declared inconclusive by the collation officer, Joseph Fuwape, who said that the margin of lead Adeleke had over his opponent was less than the number of cancelled votes in seven polling units across three local government areas of the state.

Before the election was declared inconclusive, Adeleke was leading with 254,698 votes while Oyetola, had 254,345 votes. But after the supplementary polls, Oyetola, with 255,505 votes, had overtaken Adeleke who polled a total of 255,023 votes.

But Adeleke, obviously not satisfied, approached the tribunal asking that he should be declared the winner of the election. He argued that he won the election and that a supplementary poll ought not to have taken place at all.