The administration led by Governor Ademola Adeleke in Osun state came to a painful halt on Friday when the Osun Election Petitions Court removed him from office. His tenure in office lasted a mere 62 days!

Although it annulled the results of the Osun gubernatorial poll of 16 July, the court held that the Independent National Election Commission failed to comply with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Electoral Amended Act.

the punch reports The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Adeleke, the Peoples’ Democratic Party candidate for governor, the winner of the July 16 elections.

The poll teller and deputy chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, announced that Adeleke won a total of 403,371 votes, beating out incumbent APC Governor Adegboyega Oyetola who won 375,027 votes in a close contest.

In the election held in 3,763 voting units in the 30 local government areas in Osun, the PDP won 17 of the LGAs, while the APC registered more votes in the remaining 13. The PDP won in Ede North, Ede South, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Egbedore, Odo Otin, Osogbo, Ila, Atakumosa West, Olorunda, Ilesa West, Obokun, Oriade, Orolu, Ife North, Irepodun and Ejigbo LGA.

The APC, on the other hand, won in Boripe, Ilesa East, Ayedire, Ifedayo, Ife Central, Ayedaade, Iwo, Olaoluwa, Isokan, Atakumosa East, Irewole, Ife South and Ife East LGA. Of the 1,955,657 registered voters in the state, 1,479,595 Permanent Voter Cards were collected prior to the election.

the punch reports that Adeleke’s victory brought the tally of PDP-ruled states to 14, and APC-ruled states down to 21.

But hope for Adeleke, known for her dancing skills and affectionately known as the ‘Dancing Senator,’ was dashed Friday after the court overturned the result of the July 16 gubernatorial election.

Casting a majority decision vote, Judge Tetsea Kume ruled that INEC failed to materially comply with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Law.

He later deduced the observed overvoting from the votes scored by the candidates and stated that Oyetola won the election with 314,921 votes, while Adeleke dropped to 290,266.

He ordered INEC to withdraw Adeleke’s certificate of return and issue another to Oyetola, who obtained a majority of the legal votes.