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Osun Gov, Adeleke, appeals to Oyetola for reconciliation after Appeal Court’s ruling

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Osun State’s incumbent governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, claims that the state’s former governor, Gboyega Oyetola, failed to congratulate him on his victory at the Appeal Court.

Adeleke, who expressed a willingness to collaborate with the former governor, claimed not to have heard from Oyetola.

The governor made this statement on Monday while speaking on the Arise TV Morning Show.

“Immediately after the news of the Appeal Court (judgement), I tried to reach out, I called him – the former Governor Oyetola – to let us forge ahead to move Osun forward, but up till now, he has not called me to congratulate me and I’m still hoping that he will do that because we don’t have any other state than Osun State here. So, I’m ready, my hands are open, let’s come together and move Osun State forward,” Adeleke said.

However, Adeleke reversed his position on contacting Oyetola when asked what he would like to say to the former governor and said he never called him.

“Well let me correct it, I did not say I put a call to him, what I said is I’m still expecting him to call me so that he can congratulate me, and if he wants to do otherwise and go ahead to the Supreme Court, he has the right to do that,” the governor said.

Read also:‘Democracy at play’ – Adeleke reacts to Appeal Court’s ruling on Osun election

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday affirmed the election of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of Osun State.

A three-member panel of the appellate court led by Mohammed Shuaibu unanimously overturned the earlier decision of the election petition tribunal which nullified the governor’s victory in January.

The immediate-past governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola, who came second in the 16 July 2022 election, had filed a petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.

The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo, which upheld the allegation of over-voting in the areas won by Adeleke, had declared Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the poll after deducting “unlawful votes” from the PDP’s scores.

But Adeleke appealed against the lower court’s decision, urging the appellate court to set it aside and re-affirm his victory.

Upholding Adeleke’s victory on Friday, the Court of Appeal held that the tribunal was “wrong to reach the conclusion that there was over-voting during the state governorship election held on 16 July 2022.”

Shuaibu who prepared and read the lead decision said “the burden of proving the allegations of over-voting lies squarely with the respondents (Oyetola and the APC).”

“It is inconceivable to assume that the testimonies of the respondents’ witnesses had any probative value,” the appellate court held.

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