Adeleke breaks silence, reveals next move after sack, mixed reactions trail Tribunal judgement

The Osun Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo on Friday, January 27, 2023, sacked Ademola Adeleke as Osun State Governor and declared Adegboyega Oyetola as the lawful winner of the July 16th, 2022 elections, having found ‘proof’ of over-voting.

This verdict of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has elicited mixed reactions about Nigeria’s electoral system.

The court also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Adeleke and recognise Gboyega Oyetola as the real winner of the 2022 governorship election.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Bola Tinubu while congratulating Oyetola said the tribunal victory, was a triumph of light over forces of darkness.

Expectedly, the verdict set the tone for political conversations on Twitter as Nigerians expressed their views on the judgment.

While jubilant supporters of Oyetola send their congratulations to the former governor, others looked forward to the next course of action from Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun state.

Meanwhile, Adeleke has broken silence, rejected the Tribunal judgment, and assured his supporters that the judgment would be challenged at the Court of Appeal.

Adeleke said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, “I want to use this opportunity to call on our people to remain calm. We will appeal the judgment and we are sure justice will be done. Let everyone be reassured that we will do everything possible to retain this widely acclaimed mandate. God bless Osun!”