Adeleke vs Ayetola: Court to Deliver Judgment on Osun Governorship Election

The Court of Appeal will deliver judgement in an appeal filed by Governor Ademola Adeleke on the Osun State governorship election, today.

Adeleke is challenging the judgment by the Osun Governorship Election Tribunal, which declared Gboyega Oyetola winner of the poll.

According to the Tribunal on the July 16 Osun governorship poll results, the Independent National Electoral Commission did not meet with provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Electoral Act as amended in its declaration.

delivering a majority decision vote on Friday, Justice Tetsea Kume ruled that INEC did not comply substantially with the constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Kume further deducted the over-voting observed from the votes scored by the candidates and declared that Oyetola won the election, having polled 314, 921, and Adeleke’s score came down to 290, 266.

He directed INEC to withdraw Adeleke’s certificate of return and issue another one to Oyetola who won a majority of the lawful votes.

However, the verdict was reject by Adeleke, who headed to the Appeal Court to appeal the judgment.

A three-member panel of justices headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu had earlier reserved judgement on January 27 after hearing arguments of both Governor Adeleke’s lawyers and former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.

Adelele, who has 31 grounds of appeal, is praying the court for “an order setting aside the whole decision of the tribunal.”

In one of the grounds of the appeal, Adeleke contended that “by referring to the appellant’s personal eccentricity for dancing, the lower tribunal derided and mocked him in a manner suggesting that it was biased against him.”

Officials of the appellate court already informed both parties that the matter had been fixed for hearing, adding that the constitutional 60 days for the hearing of the appeal was due.