Osun Guber: Adeleke Floors Oyetola At Appeal Court
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, threw away the ruling of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on Jan. 27, 2023, which sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke from office.
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, threw away the ruling of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on Jan. 27, 2023, which sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke from office.
Adeleke was declared the winner of the governorship poll held on July 16, 2022.
In August 2022, Oyetola, the former Osun governor and his party, the APC, moved to the tribunal with their petition, challenging the victory of Adeleke on the grounds that he did not qualify to contest the election and that there was over voting in 749 polling units across 10 local government areas of the state.
A three-man panel of the tribunal ordered Adeleke’s sack, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to him and issue a fresh one to Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the duly elected governor of Osun.
According to the tribunal, Adeleke did not score the majority of lawful votes during the July 16 governorship election in the state.
Two out of the three-member panel of the tribunal, in their judgement held that Oyetola proved substantially that there was indeed over-voting in some of the polling units.
But on Friday, the Appeal court delivered the judgement in a 31-grounds of appeal filed by Adeleke.
Justice Mohamed Shuaibu, while passing judgment on Friday, held that the tribunal erred on the side of the law by not addressing the issue raised by Adeleke in his preliminary objection to Oyetola’s petition.
“On the whole, the appeal is meritorious and thereby allowed.
“The 1st and 2nd respondents shall pay cost of N500,000 each to the appellant, the panel held.
Recall that Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party in the said election, conducted on 16 July, 2022, defeated Oyetola of the APC, but the result was nullified by the tribunal on the grounds of over-voting.
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