The Court of Appeal in Abuja has made a landmark ruling in favor of Senator Ademola Adeleke, upholding his election as the governor of Osun State. In a unanimous decision by a three-man panel led by Justice Mohammed Shuaibu, the Appeal Court overturned the earlier ruling of the Osun State Governorship Tribunal, which had sacked Adeleke from office.

The Election Petition Tribunal had earlier invalidated Adeleke’s victory in the July 16 governorship election, citing insufficient lawful votes. However, the Court of Appeal declared Adeleke as the rightful governor of Osun State and revoked the tribunal’s decision to withdraw his Certificate of Return and issue it to his opponent, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Appeal Court panel held that the tribunal’s claim of over-voting, which was relied upon by Oyetola and the APC, was not based on valid evidence and did not prove their case. The court also criticized Oyetola and the APC for failing to examine the voters’ register, which is the foundation of the electoral process, and relying solely on data from the back-end server.
On the issue of jurisdiction, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Adeleke, citing section 285(8) of the constitution, which gives the court the power to entertain an appeal in an election petition. In addition, the court awarded the sum of N500,000 against the APC and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola.
This ruling by the Court of Appeal has significant implications for the political landscape of Osun State and has put an end to the legal battle over the governorship election. Senator Ademola Adeleke can now focus on leading the state and fulfilling his promises to the people.
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