Osun Gov’ship Election Petition Tribunal To Deliver Verdict Friday

Indication emerged on Tuesday that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal will deliver judgement on the disputed 2022 governorship poll on Friday, January 27, 2023.

This was contained in a letter signed by the Tribunal secretary, David Umar, and pasted on the notice board of the Tribunal sitting at the State High Court, Osogbo, the State capital.

Parties involved in the suit, however, confirmed that the Tribunal communicated the same date to them on Tuesday, January 24, even as the notice has further heightened anxiety among political players in the State.

The 180 days as stipulated in the Electoral Act within which to hear the petition is expected to lapse on January 31, 2023.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Adegboyega Oyetola, had filed a petition at the Tribunal challenging the declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the governorship election which was conducted on July 16, 2022.

Adeleke secured 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola, who polled 375,027.

Oyetola, the immediate-past Governor of the State hinged his case on alleged election rigging by over voting, infractions in some polling units, the authenticity of the WAEC certificate presented by the Governor Adeleke among other grounds.

The three-man election petition tribunal headed by Justice Tersea Kume had on Friday, January 13 reserved judgement and adjourned indefinitely after parties in the matter adopted their final written addresses.