OSUN: Tribunal’s judgment a triumph of democracy in Nigeria —Ex-Gov Oyetola

Former Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has described the recent judgement by the Election Petitions Tribunal in the state as a victory of democracy in Nigeria.

A three-man panel chaired by Justice Tetsea Kume had on Friday upturned the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the July 16th 2022 governorship polls.

The panel, which declared Adegboyega Oyetola as the winner of the election, also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him a certificate of return.

Adeleke had, however, branded the judgement as a miscarriage of justice and vowed to appeal it.

In a statement posted on his social media handles on Saturday, former Governor Oyetola said the judgement had ushered in a new dawn for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to redouble its efforts.

Oyetola also noted that the ruling was indicative of the urgent need for the electoral commission in the country to correct some anomalies regarding its conduct of polls.

The former governor, thus, urged supporters as well as entire citizenry to remain calm and allow the law take its full course.

The statement reads: “The Tribunal judgement delivered yesterday on our petition ushers in a new dawn of a renewed hope and recovery for Osun State.

“For me, I see it as a no victor and no vanquished situation for our party members, but rather a collective victory for the entire people of Osun State, the party and Nigeria’s democracy.

“I am happy that the Tribunal has been able to lay to rest the controversy over the real winner of the July 16 Osun Governorship election.

Read also:Osun speaker predicts Oyetola’s return as governor before July 5

“The Independent National Electoral Commission (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.

“I salute millions of our party faithful and Osun Citizens who stood firm to weather the storm for their courage and loyalty.

“With this victory, we have 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.

“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 and supporters across the State 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 and supporters of the PDP not to resort to self-help, instead allow the judicial process to run its full course.”

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