Supreme Court Affirms Oyetola’s Election As Osun Governor

The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Gboyega Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke.

Adeleke had gone to the tribunal to contest the declaration of Oyetola, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Osun State governor, which overturned Oyetola’s victory and declared Adeleke winner.

When Oyetola challenged the tribunal’s ruling, he got a reprieve at the Court of Appeal but the matter still went all the way to the Supreme Court, culminating in the ruling moments ago.

In a split decision of five to two, the apex court’s panel of seven Justices held that the proceedings and the majority judgment of the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal which had declared the PDP as the winner of the poll were a nullity.

Reading the lead majority judgment of the apex court, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour held that the absence of Justice Peter Obiorah who later read the lead judgment of the tribunal during the February 6, 2019 hearing, had rendered the entire proceedings of the said tribunal and its judgment a nullity.

The Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, and three other members consented to the lead majority judgment.

However, Justice Kumai Akaahs and Justice Paul Galinje did not adhere to the ruling, affirming the PDP as the winner of the poll.

More details to come…