Presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated Senator Ademola Adeleke after the tribunal declared him winner of the 2018 Osun governorship election.

Concise News reports that the Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday declared Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic People’s (PDP) as the winner of the state election.

It held that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, were not validly returned.

According to the tribunal, the rerun of the election on September 27, 2018, in seven polling units was illegal.

It stated the exercise was borne out of an illegal cancellation of results in the polling units during the September 22, 2018, original poll.

The Returning Officers who declared the results cancelled, according to the Tribunal, lacked the power to do it.

Reacting to the judgement on his Twitter page on Friday, Atiku commended the judiciary for being the last hope of the common man and the defender of democracy.

He wrote: “Truly, the judiciary is the last hope of the common man and the defender of our democracy. Congratulations Sen. Ademola Adeleke, @IsiakaAdeleke1.