In a significant turn of events, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Senator Ademola Adeleke as the rightful governor of Osun State, setting aside the previous decision of the Osun State Governorship Tribunal. The Election Petition Tribunal had removed Adeleke from office earlier, alleging he did not receive the majority of lawful votes during the July 16 governorship polls.
However, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed Shuaibu, unanimously overturned the tribunal’s judgment and affirmed Adeleke’s victory. The panel also overturned the tribunal’s decision to withdraw Adeleke’s certificate of return and give it to Gboyega Oyetola.
The Court upheld the allegation of overvoting against Oyetola, stating that the Osun State tribunal was wrong in relying solely on the evidence presented by Oyetola and the APC to claim over-voting. In the words of the Court, “It said the APC and Gboyega Oyetola failed to prove their case of overvoting.”
