I will retain Osun gov seat, Adeleke boasts

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said the mandate given to him to govern the state would be revalidated through the same judicial process that annulled his victory in the July 16 governorship poll.

Adeleke made the disclosure while receiving ‘Unit to Unit Ambassadors,’ a campaign organisation from Osun West Senatorial District.

Justice Tertsea Kume-led Election Petition Tribunal Panel had recently annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the poll.

But Adeleke, on Friday, noted the critical role of the judiciary in the entrenching and strengthening of Nigerian democracy, listing the many judicial interventions that have helped to stabilize the nation.

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He charged members of the group to continue their campaign, adding that he was running Osun to deliver on the will and aspirations of the people.

He assured that his mandate would be revalidated through the same judicial process that nullified his election.

“Democracy revolves around the wheel of justice. Justice dispensation is the realm of the judiciary. All democrats must therefore have unshaken faith in the judiciary. I have that trust and confidence in the judiciary to right the wrong and deepen our democracy.

“I am a beneficiary of judicial intervention. I can’t forget how the judiciary cleared me of forgery allegations. You can’t have a strong democracy unless we all hold the judiciary as the indispensable arbiter. So we are going on appeal and we trust we are going to get justice. I urge all of us to be calm and go about our daily activities peacefully.

“I understand how hard and emotional the judgement is to the people of Osun state. But we must vent our disagreement only through the judicial process. That is why there is an appeal process. We have all the grounds to appeal and we are doing that.

“So continue your campaign unit to unit. We are running Osun state to deliver on the will and aspirations of the people. By God and man, our mandate will be revalidated through the same judicial process,” Adeleke was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, on Friday.