The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, gave judgment in an appeal filed by Governor Ademola Adeleke challenging the January 27, 2023 decision of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed him from office.
A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu, reserved judgment after hearing various counsels on the matter.
The court had ordered Adeleke and then ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the Certificate of Return issued to him and issue a new certificate to Gboyega Oyetola as the duly elected governor of the state.
The court said that Adeleke did not get a valid majority of votes during the July 16 gubernatorial election in the state.
Dissatisfied with the results of the polls, in August 2022, Oyetola, the former governor of Osun and his party, the All Progressives Congress petitioned the tribunal to challenge the victory of Adeleke on the grounds that Adeleke was not qualified to contest the election and that was through voting in 749 polling units in 10 government areas local country.
In the ruling, two of the three-member panel of the court said that Oyetola could prove that there was excessive voting in some polling units.