Court of appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s judgment which nullified Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s victory in the Osun governorship election.
In three separate appeals filed by Oyetola, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission, the appellate court was asked to set aside the 22 March, 2019 judgment of the tribunal which declared Senator Ademola Adeleke winner.
The Appeal court has now affirmed Oyetola’s election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The tribunal in a split judgment in March declared Adeleke as winner of the September 2018 election and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue him with the certificate of return.
Two of the judges upheld the petitions filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke and the PDP. However, the Chairman of the tribunal differed from the two and upheld Oyetola’s election.
The tribunal’s majority verdict held that the supplementary election by INEC in seven cancelled units on Sept. 22,2018, was null and void.
The tribunal ruled that the Returning Officer who cancelled the results had no power to do so.
