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 re-run governorship election.
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.
”We are going to appeal the judgment. The verdict cannot stand superior legal scrutiny. Therefore we will appeal against it,’’ Oyatomi said.
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 “ we still have men of impeccable character in the judiciary.’’
” Kudos to the Nigerian judiciary and this shows that we still have men of impeccable character in the judiciary.
“Truly, the judiciary is the last hope of common man,’’ Adagunodo said.
Adagunodo said since the APC had decided to appeal the judgment, PDP would await the outcome at the appellate court.
The development follows, as the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday declared Adeleke winner.
The three-member panel said during its ruling 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.
“The declaration of Oyetola is null and void,” the tribunal ruled in a majority decision with one member dissenting.
