The Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal has declared Ademola Adeleke of the PDP as the winner of the controversial state election.
The tribunal also declared the September 27 rerun election in the state illegal.
The Tribunal made the declaration on Friday after dismissing a preliminary objection against the petition of the PDP and Senator Adeleke, challenging the September 2018 governorship election in the state.
The preliminary objection was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The three defendants claimed that the petition of the PDP and its candidate was incompetent and the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to hear it.
Delivering a ruling on the preliminary objection, Justice Obiora Obi who is a member of the three-man Tribunal held that the petition was competent.
He also stated that the Tribunal has the jurisdiction to hear and determine it.
The judge held that there was merit in the appeal filed by the PDP and Senator Adeleke, adding that the declaration and return of Governor Oyetola by INEC was null and void.
The three-man panel of the Tribunal gave the judgement following the petition filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleka against the All Progressives Congress, APC and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.
The Tribunal also ruled that PDP and Adeleke proved that it was the state Returning Officer who cancelled the results in 7 Polling Units, adding that the petitioners also proved that the Returning Officer has no power to cancel election results of a polling unit.
The Tribunal also deducted 2,029 votes from APC scores and 1,246 votes from PDP votes in 17 polling units where there was non compliance.
Delivering the judgement, the panel had a split decision. the chairman, Justice Ibrahim Sirajo (minority judgment), ruled in favour of APC and Oyetola, while two members (majority judgment) ruled in favour of PDP and Ademola.
