Adeleke vs Oyetola: Supreme Court Gives Judgment Friday

The Supreme Court will on Friday deliver judgement in the four appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP ) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

Recall that a seven-man panel led by Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad had, after hearing the appeals on June 17, 2019 fixed July 5, 2019 for judgment.

By their four appeals, marked: SC/553/2019; SC/554/2019; SC/555/2019 and SC/556/2019, Adeleke and the PDP are challenging the May 9, 2019 judgments of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which upheld the election of Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Osun State.

The Court of Appeal also set aside the majority judgment of the election tribunal which had allowed Adeleke’s petition and declared him winner of the election.

By agreement of lawyers in the appeals, the court on June 17, 2019 took arguments from Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), for the appellant, and Wole Olanipekun (SAN), for the 1st respondent (Oyetola), in respect of appeal marked: SC/553/2019.

According to the court, its judgment in the main appeal – SC/553/2019 – will be applied to two other similar one, filed by Adeleke against the Court of Appeal’s decision in relation to the appeals filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC,marked: SC/554/2019 and SC/555/2019.

The court also took arguments from Ikpeazu (for the appellant), Yusuf Ali (SAN) for INEC; Bode Olanipekun (SAN) for Oyetola and Olumide Olujinmi, for APC in relation to the fourth appeal, marked: SC/556/2019.

In their arguments, lawyers to the respondents – INEC, Oyetola and the APC faulted the appeals and prayed the court to dismiss them for lacking in merit.

The respondents prayed the court to uphold the judgments as given on May9, 2019 by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which affirmed Oyetola of the APC as the winner of the governorship election held in September 2018.

In relation to the first set of appeals – SC/553/2019; SC554/2019 and SC/555/2019, ikpeazu urged the court to set aside the judgements of the Court of Appeal and restore the majority judgment given in his client’s favour by the election tribunal.