The Governor-Elect of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has expressed readiness to defend his electoral victory at the July 16 governorship poll before the Election Petitions Tribunal.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who was the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress at the poll, had approached the tribunal on Friday to challenge Adeleke’s victory.
But Adeleke declared that his victory at the poll was in total compliance with the law and will of the people.
This was contained in a statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, titled: ‘I’ll Defend and Retain My Victory – Osun Governor-Elect,’ obtained in Osogbo on Saturday.
Adeleke also declared that the July 16 election was transparent, assuring that people’s mandate freely given to him would be defended and validated.
He added that the Peoples Democratic Party’s legal team was taking appropriate action on the petition filed against his victory and called on his supporters to remain calm.
“I urge the good people of Osun State who voted massively to reject bad governance to remain calm. We are doing the needful to defend their mandate. We will do all within our powers to ensure judicial validation of our victory as this is an election globally certified as a great advancement in electoral transparency and integrity.
“We also want to reaffirm our faith in the judiciary as a bastion of hope and justice. We have unshakeable trust in God that this election petition shall end in another landmark victory for us and the resilient people of Osun State,” Adeleke concluded.
Meanwhile, Osun All Progressives Congress had said it expected Adeleke to assemble best crop of lawyers that would defend weighty allegations against his victory at the recently held governorship election before the tribunal.
A statement by the Media Adviser to Osun APC chairman, Kola Olabisi, who said rather than doing that, Adeleke had instead set up transition committee.
Olabisi said, “By and large, my take on the hasty inauguration of the transition committee by Mr Governor-elect appears that he is putting the cat before the horse.
“Is it the inauguration of a transition committee that should be his priority attention when he is expected to be assembling the best crop of lawyers who would defend some of the weighty allegations against his pyrrhic victory in all the constitutionally allowed courts to adjudicate over his victory?”
