*Adeleke rejects result, vows to go to court
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), early Friday morning, declared candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, winner of the Osun State governorship election.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Joseph Adeola Afuwape announced that Oyetola garnered 255,505 votes to defeat his main rival, Senator Ademola Adeleke who polled 255,023 votes.
He said: “Oyetola, having satisfied the provision of law, by polling the highest votes in the contest is now declared winner of the gubernatorial election held on September 22, 27 in Osun State.
The APC had won the supplementary election held on Thursday in six polling units out of the seven units in which election was conducted across four local governments of Orolu, Ife South, Ife North, and Osogbo.
- IFE NORTH OYERE.
APC126
PDP 002 - IFE SOUTH
OLODE
APC 283
PDP 015
ALUTI ERIN
APC 172
PDP 021
3.IFON OROLU
KAJOLA.
APC 111
PDP 003
GBOGBO.
APC 041
PDP 064
IDIYA
APC. 128
PDP 055
4.OSOGBO
APC. 299
PDP. 165
RE-RUN TOTAL
APC. 1,160
PDP. 325
FINAL RESULT
APC. 255,505
PDP. 255,023
In a swift reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described the supplementary election as a broad day robbery and the most brazen assault on democracy in the history of the state.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman of the party, Hon. Soji Adagunodo.
Adagunodo accused the ruling APC of conniving with security personnel to manipulate the electoral process, vowed to resist it in due course.
He explained that thousands of eligible voters were chased away from their homes in Orolu, Ife North and Ife South Local Governments in the early hours of Thursday .
“Scores of our supporters in those local governments were shot and matchetted on their way to polling centres and in the full glare of security men. Hundreds of people holding PVCs from other polling units were accredited and allowed to vote in Osogbo and Ife South Local Governments.
” PDP agent in Olode was axed and abducted at about 7am today. Media men and election observers were denied access in several polling units. By the time access was granted to journalists at about 11am, ballot boxes had been stuffed by APC agents acting in connivance with INEC officials.
“It is regrettable that election in 7 polling units could not be freely and fairly concluded by the Independent National Electoral commission.
“We reject any returns of results from this sham and call on the INEC authorities in Abuja to direct that the so called supplementary election result collation be put on hold now.
“We equally invite leaders of thought in Nigeria and the International community to rise up now to rescue Nigeria’s democracy from being ruined.
“We also call on all members and supporters of our party to resist any attempt to foist a concocted election results on the people of Osun using all legal means at their disposal”.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has rejected the result of the re-run poll.
Adeleke, in a statement in Osogbo by his campaign organisation’s spokesperson, Mr. Olawale Rasheed, said he would seek legal redress.
Adeleke, however, alleged that voters were deliberately refused access to polling points at gun points while those allowed to voting centres were forced to vote for APC.
He said PDP party agents were arrested, beaten up and shut out of polling centres while the roads were blocked to stop voters and observers.
“Applying all standards, today’s supplementary poll is a non-event as all norms of the electoral process are violated,” he said.
The campaign vowed to challenge the outcome in court.
The election was earlier declared inconclusive and a re-run ordered because the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin between the two top candidates.
Adeleke then led the race with 254,698 votes, 353 votes more than his closest rival, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC.
Meanwhile, the missions of the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom have given their appraisals of the re-run election.
The missions, which monitored the poll on Thursday, said they received reports of incidents of harassment and intimidation of voters during the exercise.
Reading the missions’ joint report on the election, the US Consul General, John F. Bray, said: “The missions of the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom observed voting at polling stations in Osun today (Thursday).
“We witnessed what appeared to be incidents of interference and intimidation of voters and have reports of harassment of party monitors, journalists and domestic observers.
“We are very concerned by these reports and we will be checking with stakeholders to determine the facts. We call on all stakeholders to remain calm.”