President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Supreme Court judgment confirming Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun State.
The president, who took to his verified Twitter handle after the apex court’s affirmation, praised the judiciary for its role in deepening the rule of law and democracy in Nigeria.
He noted that the main task at hand is to make the people feel the impact of good governance, that guarantees a prosperous, peaceful, and stable Osun State.
His words: “With the final decision by the Supreme Court on the July 16, 2022 governorship election in Osun State, all hands should be on deck to provide the @AAdeleke_01 administration all the support needed to implement programs, policies & plans fashioned to make Osun flourish & succeed.
“Elections should be seen as a path to an end, which is the progress of the people in a peaceful environment, rather than unending bickering. This is the time for inclusion and harmony in Osun State, at the end of litigation.
“Let me also recognize and acknowledge the important role of the judiciary in deepening the rule of law and democracy in Nigeria”.
The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, set aside the appeal by Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the victory of Adeleke.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the court of appeal correctly reinstated Adeleke as governor, after an election tribunal in Osun had sacked him from office.
The tribunal stated that there was over-voting in some polling units and Adeleke did not score majority of lawful votes during the election. After deduction, it declared Oyetola, the incumbent winner.
The Supreme Court judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim noted that the appellant failed to adduce enough evidence to prove allegation of over voting in the governorship poll.
Ismail Aniemu, Publisher of JournalNG and ghostwriter, is a maritime journalist of over two decades of practice with a multidisciplinary background. He holds a master’s degree in Transport Management from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology(LAUTECH) with a bias for logistics. He is also an alumnus of the Times Journalism Institute where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in Journalism
