The long battle between APC and PDP over the outcome of the Osun State governorship elections has finally come to an end as the Supreme court declared APC’s Oyetola as the rightful governor of the state.
The battle that started since September 2018 came to an end as the apex court decided that Oyetola would stay governor of Osun state till 2023. The decision was split between 5 to 2 members of the panel, 5 of which thought Oyetola was the lawful governor and 2 who believed Adeleke should have won.
The general submission was that the majority judgment delivered at the tribunal was a nullity because the judge who had read the majority judgment at the tribunal, Peter Obiora, was absent on February 6th, 2019.
The case had initially been won by PDP during the Tribunal, but the Court of Appeal questioned the ruling because of the absence of Justice Obiora when a key witness was heard and nullified the judgment of the tribunal. The case was taken to the Supreme Court which appears to have agreed with the decision.
The Justice Bode Rhodes- Vivour delivered the majority judgment supported by five of the seven justices of the Supreme Court this morning.
This means that the official and legal governor of Osun State is Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressive Congress. The governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ademola Adeleke can now move on to the other political aspirations and activities as the legal battle’s curtain has been drawn close.
What do you think about the verdict reached by the Supreme justices? Do you agree with their decisions or do you think they should have gone the other way? Let us know how you see things in the comment section below.
