Osun: Tribunal set to deliver judgment on PDP, Adeleke petition Friday


The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, is set to deliver judgment on the petition filed against the outcome of the September 2018 election in the state by the People‎s Democratic Party and its candidate in the poll, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

Aggrieved by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election held on September 22, 2018, with the supplementary poll held on September 27, 2018, the petitioners had filed their petitions asking the tribunal to upturn Oyetola’s victory.

They alleged that Oyetola’s victory at the poll was marred by irregularities, including massive rigging, vote buying and other forms of malpractices.

They urged the court to nullify Oyetola’s victory.

The petitioners claimed that they scored the majority of the lawful votes in the election, and should be declared as the winner of the election.

According to a hearing notice served on the parties by the tribunal on Tuesday, it indicated that the judgment would now be delivered on March 22.

Blueprint reports that the three-man panel had on March 7, 2019, reserved judgment after the lawyers representing both the petitioners and defence adopted their final ‎written addresses.

‎‎The Ibrahim Sirajo-led tribunal had said parties to the suit would be given at least 48-hour notice before judgment would be delivered.

At the March 7 proceedings of the tribunal, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN and Chief Akin Olujinmi, SAN, represented the governor and APC, Lasco Pwahomdi appeared for INEC.

Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Pwahomdi had during adoption of separate final addresses urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that the petitioners failed to prove their case.

Meanwhile, counsel to the petitioner, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN had in his own submission while adopting his final address, urged the tribunal to uphold the petition and grant his clients’ prayers.

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