Appeal Court reserves judgment on Osun polls

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

The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu, reserved judgment after hearing various counsel in the matter.

The tribunal had ordered Adeleke’s and consequently directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to him and give 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.

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 judgment, 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.