Osun Poll: Tribunal restrains INEC from tampering with election results
The election petition tribunal for the September 22 Osun governorship poll, sitting in Osogbo on Thursday granted an ex-parte order sought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke, restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from tampering with the results of the election.
Giving the order at the panel sitting, the tribunal headed by Justice T .A. Igoche and has Justice B. A Obayi as member, also ordered INEC not to tamper with information contained in the card reader machines and other documents.
Nathaniel Oke (SAN), who is representing PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, had through an ex parte application, sought the leave of the tribunal to file the application before the commencing pre-hearing session.
Adeleke also sought the leave of the tribunal to inspect and get the Certified True Copies of electoral documents and materials used for the poll.
The PDP candidate also sought for an order to compel the INEC to produce and print out list of permanent voter card distribution statistics per polling units.
Also as part of his demands, Adeleke also sought an order restraining INEC from “altering extracted information from card readers , election results from polling unit level to state level, as well as ballot papers used for the conduct of the governorship election in Osun state.”
Adeleke in his application, said: “That the total votes won by the 1st applicant on the 22nd day of September, 2018 was 245 ,698 while the 1 st respondent scored 245 ,345.
“That the 1 st applicant was the winner of the election and ought to have been so declared by the 3 rd respondent (INEC ) .
“That the 3 rd respondent declared the election inconclusive hence a rerun was conducted on the 27 th day of September 2018.
”That the rerun election was marred by electoral violence, vote- buying , stuffing of ballot papers , multiple thumb- printing and voting and allocation of votes by the 3 rd respondent .
“That by the total actual and valid votes cast on the 22 nd and 27 th days of September 2018 respectively , the elections were won by the applicants.
“That an examination of the electoral documents and election materials in the custody of the 3 rd respondent is required to determine the actual facts and records of the elections to maintain this petition .
“That the 3rd respondent wrongfully declared and returned the 1st respondent as being duly elected and winner of the governorship election , Osun State held on 22 nd day of September 2018 and the rerun election held on 27 the day of September 2018 respectively.
“The 1st and 2 nd applicants are dissatisfied with the said result of the election as announced by the returning officer of the governorship election , Osun State .
“That instant allocation is required for the purpose of instituting and maintaining the petition .”
After hearing the application moved by Adeleke’s counsel, the tribunal in their ruling held that Adeleke’s allocation had merit and granted all the motions in the application.
Igoche, in the ruling noted, “We are of the view that the application has merit . We hereby grant the application as prayed.”
