The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, reserved judgment in an appeal 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 3-man panel of the Court of Appeal led by Mohamed Lawal Shuaibu reserved judgment on the appeal by Adeleke after hearing various counsel in the matter.
A 3-man panel of the tribunal had ordered Adeleke’s and consequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to him and issue a fresh one to Gboyega Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun.
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 could prove that there was indeed over-voting in some of the polling units.
