The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has upheld the victory of the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, in last year’s election in Osun State.
The Appeal Court, this morning, nullified the judgment of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which had declared the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the September 2018 poll.
Four out of the five judes on the panel upheld upheld Oyetola’s appeal.
In a dissenting judgment of four-to-one, the five-man panel led by Justice Jummai Sankey, the Court of Appeal upheld the appeal filed by Governor.
Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State challenging the verdict of the tribunal and affirmed him as duly elected
Delivering the lead majority judgment of the four members of the panel, the court resolved 10 out of the 12 issues raised in favour of Oyetola and the two others in favour of Ademola and his PDP.
The Court of Appeal’s majority judgment was primarily anchored on the alleged absence of a member of the tribunal, Justice Peter Obiorah, who read the lead majority verdict of the tribunal, during the February 6, 2018 proceedings of the tribunal.
Justice Sankey held that absence of Justice Obiorah on that date nullified the entire proceedings and the verdict of the tribunal.
Three other members of the panel, Justices Abubakar Yahaya, Isaiah Akeju, and Bitrus Sanga, agreed with Justice Sankey.
But a member of the panel, Justice George Mbaba, dissented from the majority judgment, holding that the alleged absence of Justice Obiorah from the February 6, 2018 proceedings of the tribunal was mere speculation.
