By Sandra Kenneth
The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has officially closed its doors to new filings without receiving a single petition challenging the outcome of the August 15 governorship election.
The 21-day window constitutionally mandated for aggrieved parties and candidates to contest the election results lapsed on Saturday, cementing the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adeleke, who contested under the banner of the Accord party, secured his reelection after polling 511,067 votes to defeat his primary contender, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 444,815 votes. The final results were announced by the State Returning Officer for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joshua Ogunwole.
Although tribunal registry staff at the State High Court premises in Oke Fia, Osogbo, remained on duty through the deadline on Saturday, no legal challenges were submitted by any of the 14 defeated opposition parties.
Speaking on the party’s decision, a member of the APC legal team, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that the party opted against litigation to preserve state stability.
“Not that we don’t have grounds to challenge Adeleke’s election; there are good grounds to challenge the outcome,” the source stated. “However, after deliberations, the party hierarchy and legal team resolved not to file any petition in the interest of peace. Power belongs to God, and He gives it to whomever He wishes.”
Reacting to the development, the State Chairman of the Accord party, Victor Akande, commended opposition figures for displaying sportsmanship.
“We appreciate the maturity of the opposition candidates,” Akande said. “It is good for democracy when an election concludes at the ballot box rather than prolonging through tribunal battles.”
Echoing similar sentiments, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Olugbenga Ajala, affirmed that the electoral process was transparent enough to render court challenges unnecessary.
“The process was fair enough, and we believe the best candidate won,” Ajala noted. “If the election had lacked fairness, we would have headed to the tribunal. However, the integrity of the process is clear to all, which is why no candidate came forward with a petition.”
