The Osun State Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice Elizabeth Ipejime on Friday at the High Court in Osogbo threw out the claims of Senator Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seeking to upturn the outcome of the 9 August, 2014 governorship election in his favour.
The Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the election held on 9 August, 2014.
Aregbesola had defeated PDP’s Omisore during the polls with 394,684 votes to 292,747 votes but the results were contested by Omisore and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Both Aregbesola and Omisore were absent in court on Friday but were ably represented by their party’s agents.
Omisore had dragged Governor Aregbesola to the tribunal. The PDP candidate, who came second in the election with 292,747 votes as against Aregbesola’s 394,684 votes, prayed the tribunal to sack the governor and declare him the winner of the poll.
Security was beefed up in Osogbo when the Election Petition Tribunal began to deliver its judgment.
Roads leading to the premises of the State High Court, venue of the tribunal’s sitting, were manned by security operatives.
Those entering the premises were subjected to a thorough search by security men while those who did not have genuine identification cards were turned back.
Journalists were also searched and allowed to go in after presenting their identification cards.
Mobile and regular policemen, officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and operatives of the State Security Service were also sighted at strategic locations in the town.
Meanwhile, the police in the state have warned supporters of the APC and PDP against fomenting trouble after the tribunal’s judgment.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Folasade Odoro, gave the warning in a telephone interview with NAN in Osogbo.
Odoro said anybody caught fomenting trouble would face the full weight of the law.
The spokesperson said the police would ensure adequate security in the state.
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