The Supreme Court has affirmed Oyetola will remain Osun governor according to the Supreme Court’s final ruling. The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke, lost his appeal before the apex court in its ruling on Friday, July 5, 2019.
Adeleke and the PDP had filed an appeal before the court after they lost to Oyetola and his All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Court of Appeal.
In May 2019, the Court of Appeal had upheld Oyetola’s victory after an election tribunal initially ruled, in March, that Adeleke won the election.
In the split 5-2 decision of the seven-member panel on Friday, the Supreme Court upheld this technicality, paving the way for Oyetola to serve out the rest of his tenure after he was sworn in last year.
The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Justice Amiru Sanusi and Justice Uwani Abba Aji consented to the majority judgment that dismissed Adeleke’s appeals. Justice Rhodes-Vivour read the majority judgement on Friday.
On the other hand, Justice Adamu Galinje and Justice Kumai Akaahs in a minority judgement held that Adeleke scored the majority votes in the election and should be declared winner as decided by the tribunal.
The judges ruled that the majority judgment nullifying the election tribunal’s judgment based on the technicality of Justice Obiorah’s absence is mere conjecture without a certified true copy of the original record of the February hearing he allegedly missed.
“The appeal is meritorious and has to be allowed. I allow the appeal and set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision,” Justice Galinje said.
