Adeleke promises to safeguard the mandate of the people.

Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Governor-Elect of Osun State, has stated his willingness to defend his election victory in the July 16 governorship election before the Election Petitions Tribunal.

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, the All Progressives Congress's flagbearer in the election, had sought the tribunal on Friday to contest Adeleke's victory.

Adeleke, on the other hand, maintained that his election victory was in complete accordance with the law and the desire of the people.

This was featured in a statement sent by Adeleke's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Saturday, headed 'I'll Defend and Retain My Victory - Osun Governor-Elect,' received in Osogbo.

Adeleke further stated that the July 16 election was transparent, ensuring that the people's freely given mandate would be defended and verified.

He also stated that the Peoples Democratic Party's legal team was responding appropriately to the petition filed against his victory and urged his followers to be calm.

"I implore the wonderful people of Osun State, who overwhelmingly voted to reject terrible government, to be calm." We are doing everything possible to defend their mandate. "We will do everything in our power to ensure that our victory is judicially validated, since this election has been globally acknowledged as a great advancement in electoral transparency and integrity." 

"We also want to reaffirm our faith in the court as a stronghold of hope and justice." "We have complete faith in God that this election petition will result in yet another historic win for us and the resilient people of Osun State," Adeleke said.

Meanwhile, the Osun All Progressives Congress said it anticipated Adeleke to assemble the strongest crop of attorneys to defend his victory in the recently concluded governorship election before the tribunal.

According to a statement by the Media Adviser to Osun APC Chairman, Kola Olabisi, Adeleke instead established a transition committee.

"By and large, my perspective on Mr Governor-hurried elect's inauguration of the transition committee appears to be that he is putting the cat before the horse," Olabisi remarked.

Is it the establishment of a transition committee that should be his top priority when he is expected to assemble the best crop of lawyers to defend some of the weighty allegations against his pyrrhic victory in all the constitutionally permitted courts to adjudicate over his victory?"