The Election Petition Tribunal for 2022 Osun State Governorship Election yesterday granted motion exparte brought by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and All Progressives Congress (APC) for substituted service on Osun governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
At the sitting, counsel for Oyetola and APC, Yomi Aliyu, SAN, who brought the motion of substituted service to the court, said the 2nd respondent, Adeleke, has been evading being served the petition challenging his victory.
He said the bailiff had served the first respondent, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the petition.
He said: “When the bailiff arrived the home of the second respondent to serve him the petition, the guard in his house did not allow him to serve him and out of fear, he left.
“We pray the court to grant the prayer of substituted service on Senator Adeleke of pasting the petition on the notice board of the court.”
Also, he made an oral application for court to grant the prayer of the first and second petitioner to access the electoral materials and scan ballot papers.
The Chairman of the tribunal, Tertsea Aorga Kume, granted the motion exparte of substituted service on Senator Adeleke and the prayer for petitioner to access the electoral materials and scan ballot papers, which are in the custody of the first respondent, INEC.
Reacting to the ruling, Senator Adeleke through his media aide, Olawale Rasheed, in a statement, said granting an order of substituted service was a normal process provided for within the Nigerian legal jurisprudence, even as it justified heightened security around the governor-elect in view of emerging state-induced violence across the state.
He denied reports that the governor-elect evaded court service, saying: “Senator Adeleke is very much in Osun attending to transition responsibilities in preparation for his assumption of office in November.
“We must, however, admit that security around the governor-elect is expectedly tight since his declaration as the winner of the July 16 election. Ever since the incumbent was defeated, we suspect an agenda from the APC administration to engineer violence and turn round to blame the PDP. Access to the governor-elect is therefore highly restrictive.”