The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State have expressed hope for victory as the Supreme Court today determines the authentic winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state.
The PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, was returned elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission, but the APC candidate at the poll, Adegboyega Oyetola, rejected the result and approached the Election Petition Tribunal to challenge it.
The Independent National Electoral Commissionm had declared that Adeleke polled 403,371 votes, to defeat then incumbent governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes.
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But Oyetola and the APC rejected the result of the poll and headed for the tribunal.
In its January 27, 2023 majority verdict, the Justice Tertse Kume-led tribunal annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola the winner of the poll.
However, a minority judgment by Justice B. Ogbuli affirmed Adeleke as the winner of the poll.
Displeased, Adeleke and the PDP headed for the Court of Appeal, which on March 24 nullified the tribunal judgment and returned Adeleke as winner.
Oyetola and the PDP, who were disastified with the judgment, then headed for the Supreme Court, which held the matter on Monday and fixed judgment for today (Tuesday).
At the sitting of the apex court panel that heard the matter on Monday, the parties adopted their briefs and addressed the court after which the panel announced Tuesday for judgment.
Speaking with The PUNCH on the expectations of the party, Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, said his party was expecting victory, having done well in presenting its case before the panel.
Olabisi said, “We are hoping for the best because of our watertight case. Everybody should go about their business. There should be no room for any form of crisis.”
The Osun PDP Director of Media, Oladele Olabamiji, while speaking on the expectations ahead of the judgment, said the party was expecting the apex court to uphold the verdict of the Court of Appeal that validated Adeleke’s victory in the governorship poll.
“We are positive as usual, we are expecting nothing but justice to uphold the judgment of the appeal court which upheld the election of Governor Ademola Adeleke. We believe and trust in God,” Olabamiji said.
(Punch)
