2022 Osun Guber Election: History Repeats Itself As Supreme Court Upholds Gov Ademola Adeleke’s Victory
Nigeria’s apex court, the Supreme Court, has upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which in March 2023 overruled the Osun state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal headed by Justice Tetse Kume.
The Tribunal had in January this year ordered the electoral umpire; the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Ademola Adeleke and issue a fresh one to Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, who was the APC gubernatorial candidate in the governorship election held in the state on July 16 2022.
All eyes had been on the nation’s apex court for a final decision on matters concerning the July 16 2022 gubernatorial election .
Supporters and members of the PDP in Osun state will therefore definitely spend the remaining part of today celebrating and they will clink glasses wherever they gather after being kept in suspense for weeks.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned the Supreme Court in the judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim set aside the appeal by Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola challenging the election of Governor Ademola Adeleke while also upholding the Appeal Court ruling that had affirmed Governor Adeleke’s election victory.
It will be recalled that appeal court had in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, held that the appeal by Adeleke in respect of the decision of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, was meritorious.
Apart from setting aside the tribunal’s decision , the court, in its lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Mohammed Lawal, also awarded N500, 000 costs against the All Progressive Congress, APC, and its candidate, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola.
Oyetola and Adeleke had stood as candidates of the APC and the PDP respectively in the 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial elections .
History had simply repeated itself ! It will be recalled that after the gubernatorial election held in the state in September 2018, Governor Adeleke had questioned the declaration of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola as winner of the election by INEC and while he had won at the Tribunal, Oyetola later won at the Court of Appeal and finally at the Supreme Court on July 5 2019 in a judgment read by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour.
Adeleke was sworn in as sixth executive governor of Osun state by the state Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Adepele Ojo on Sunday, November 27 2022- Team@orientactualmags.com
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