Adeleke Never Forged Certificates - Spokesperson

The Osun State Government has stated that the state governor, Ademola Adeleke did not forge any school testimonial as declared in a recent judgement by the Chairman of the Election Petitions Tribunal, Justice Tertsea Kume. 

This is contained in a statement issued by the governor's spokesperson, Rasheed Olawale on Tuesday in Osogbo.

Olawale said the need to clarify a very sinister component of the Kangaroo judgement on the Osun gubernatorial election becomes sacrosanct, hence an error on the governor's school testimonial which bears Osun instead of Oyo state. 

He said that Osun was part of Oyo State when governor Adeleke completed his high school education in 1981.

"The Court of Appeal ruled that there was no forgery and exonerated Adeleke of any forgery. The public should know that the governor did not forge his Testimonial or any certificate.

"Also, this is an attempt to damage the reputation of Governor Adeleke," he said.

According to him, the tribunal chairman will have to explain how he arrived at his opinion of certificate forgery when the Court of Appeal has cleared gov. Adeleke of his certificate. 

Adegboyega Oyetola, the immediate past governor of the state under the All Progressives Congress (APC), had challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.

Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had on August 5, 2022, filed a petition before the Tribunal in Osogbo challenging the election results from 749 polling units across 10 local government areas, alleging electoral malpractices, especially over-voting.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adeleke as the winner of the governorship election, having polled 403, 271 votes against 375,027 polled by Oyetola.

In a recent judgment delivered by the Tribunal chairman, Justice Kume, he upheld that the July 16, 2022 governorship election did not comply with the Electoral Act, noting that there was indeed over-voting in six local government areas in Osun. 

The tribunal chairman declared Oyetola as the winner of the July 16, 2022, gubernatorial election.