Delivering its judgement on Friday, the tribunal held that the governorship election was characterized by over-voting, adding that after deducting the excessive votes, Oyetola’s figures rose to 314, 921, while Adeleke’s came down to 290, 266.
The tribunal led by Justice Terste Kume, therefore, instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Adeleke and his deputy, Kola Adewusi. It directed that the certificate of return be issued to Oyetola instead.
But while reacting to the ruling in his Ede hometown, Governor Adeleke vowed to appeal the judgement, describing it as “a miscarriage of justice”.
A statement from his spokesman Olawale Rasheed quoted the governor as saying that it is “an unfair interpretation against the will of the majority of voters”.
“I call on our people to remain calm. We will appeal the judgement and we are sure justice will be done. Let our people be reassured that we will do everything possible to retain this widely acclaimed mandate,” the governor said.
Channels Television