S-Court Upholds Oyetola’s Election, Dismisses Adeleke’s Appeal
The Supreme Court has upheld the election victory of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State.
The apex court, in a split judgement of five to seven, dismissed the appeal the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Senator Ademola Adeleke lodged to challenge the Court of Appeal verdict that affirmed the outcome of the September 27 supplementary election that led to Oyetola’s victory.
Whereas in the lead verdict that was delivered by Justice Bode Rhode-Vivour, and adopted by four other Justices, the apex court held that Oyetola was validly elected.
However, two other members of the panel, Justices Kumai Akaahs and Paul Galinje, disagreed and maintained that Adeleke won the election and ought to have been declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In his dissenting judgement, Justice Akaahs accused INEC of partisanship, saying it failed to act as an unbiased umpire. Justice Akaahs said he observed that INEC, through an officer without legal powers to act, ordered the supplementary election to ensure that Oyetola cancelled over 300 votes that Adeleke led with after the initial election that held on September 22
