APC to Appeal Osun Election Tribunal Judgment

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun says it will appeal the tribunal judgment that declared Sen. Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the September 2018 rerun governorship election in Osun.
Mr Kunle Oyatomi, the APC Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, said in a statement on Friday in Osogbo that the verdict would not stand superior legal scrutiny.
The PDP in the state, however, commended the judiciary on what it called a landmark judgment.
Mr Soji Adagunodo, the Osun PDP Chairman, in his reaction, said the victory was for the people of the state.
Adagunodo said the judgment shows that the country still have men of impeccable character in the judiciary.
Adagunodo said since the APC had decided to appeal the judgment, PDP would await the outcome at the appellate court.
The three-member panel said during its ruling stated that the rerun election that held on Sept. 27, 2018, was illegal.
The tribunal, therefore, deducted the votes scored by the APC candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, in the rerun after declaring the rerun illegal.
The tribunal said Adeleke won the election at the first ballot on Sept. 22 and the rerun that INEC devised to reach a final conclusion a week later was illegal.
A three -member panel of the tribunal , dismissed the objections filed by Gov. Oyetola, APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Both Adeleke and the PDP in their different petitions had urged the tribunal to declare that he scored the highest lawful votes in the election and should be declared as winner.
However, Oyetola, APC and INEC had filed their notices of preliminary objection against the petition on the grounds that the petition is incompetent adding that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the petition.
After the first ballot, Adeleke polled 254,698 votes to beat Oyetola who trailed him with 254,345 votes.
INEC, however, declared the election inconclusive because the margin between the PDP and APC, 353 votes, is less than the number of registered voters, 3,498, in the seven polling units where elections were cancelled.
The rerun election was held at three polling units in Orolu, two polling units in Ife South, one polling unit in Ife North local governments and one polling unit in Osogbo.
Prof. Adeola Afuwape, the Returning Officer of the election, during the collation after the rerun said Oyetola polled 255,505 votes to defeat Adeleke who got 255,023 votes. He then declared Oyetole the winner of the election.
However,there have been jubilation across Osun State following the pronouncement.