Appeal Court Reserves Ruling on Osun Governorship Dispute

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Monday, reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by Governor Ademola Adeleke against the ruling of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which sacked him from office.

The notice was given by Justice M.F. Shuaibu in Abuja, leading a three-member panel of the appellate court judges, shortly after counsels to the different parties had argued and adopted their briefs for and against the suit.

Whereas Adeleke's legal team, led by Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu, argued and adduced reasons why the appellate court should set aside the tribunal's judgment for erring in law, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, leading the legal team for the immediate past Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, posited otherwise.

No date has been fixed for the judgement. 

It would be recalled that the tribunal ruled that Oyetola won the election, with two of the three-member panel averring that the former governor proved that there was over-voting in some of the polling units.

But Adeleke countered the ruling on February 9, in an appeal marked CA/AK/EPT/GOV/01/2023, insisting the tribunal erred in law. 

In his appeal, Governor Adeleke deposed 31 grounds, praying in the main, for an order of the appellate court to set aside the entire decision of the tribunal. He averred that besides erring in law, the tribunal showed bias in its ruling as according to him, the tribunal referred to his personal eccentricity for dancing, which he said, amounted to mocking in a manner that suggested bias against him. 

“The tribunal, in its judgment, erred in law and displayed bias against the appellant when it made reference to the appellant’s dance at his inauguration as governor of Osun state which was never an issue before the lower tribunal,” Adeleke noted.

“The appearance of bias manifests in the reference to the Appellant’s proclivity for dancing and particularly the Buga song, has rendered the decision of the lower Tribunal a nullity,” Adeleke prayed.