JUST-IN: Appeal Court Reserves Judgement In Osun Gov’ship Case

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, challenging the January 27, 2023 decision of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which sacked him from office.

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal Justices led by Mohamed Lawal Shuaibu, reserved judgment on the appeal by Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after hearing various Counsels in the matter.

The Election Petitions Tribunal had sacked Adeleke and consequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him and issue a fresh one to Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Osun State in the July 16, 2022 election.

The Tribunal held that Adeleke did not score the majority of lawful votes during the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the State.

Adeleke, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party was declared the winner of the governorship poll held on July 16.

Recall that, not satisfied with the outcome of the poll, Oyetola, the former Osun governor and his party, APC in August 2022 petitioned the Tribunal to challenge the victory of Adeleke on the grounds that Adeleke 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.

In the judgement of the Tribuna, two out of the three-member panel held that Oyetola was able to prove that there was indeed over-voting in some of the polling units.