Osun guber: Court of Appeal reserves

Osun guber: Court of Appeal reserves judgement* The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, has reserved judgment in an appeal by Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state challenging the January 27, 2023 decision of the Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which sacked him from office.

A 3-man Panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Mohammed Shuaibu reserved judgment on the appeal by Adeleke after hearing various counsel in the matter. A 3-man panel of the Tribunal in Osun state, had ordered Adeleke’s removal from office and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him and issue a fresh one to Gboyega Oyetola as the duly elected governor of the state. The Tribunal held that Adeleke did not score the majority of lawful votes during the July 16 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. Not satisfied with the outcome of the poll, in August 2022, Oyetola, the former Osun governor and his party, the All Progressives Congress 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, two out of the three-member panel of the tribunal held that Oyetola proved that there was indeed over-voting in some of the polling units.