An appeal court sitting in Abuja Thursday nullified the declaration of People’s Democratic Party’s Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the last governorship election in Osun State.
Isiaka Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress, who was recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, approached the appellate court to review the tribunal judgement that sacked him as the duly elected governor of Osun in March.
The tribunal, in its March 22, 2019 split judgment of two-to-one, nullified Oyetola’s victory to declare People’s Democratic Party governorship candidate Ademola Adeleke winner of the September 2018 governorship poll.
Delivering the lead judgement on Thursday, Justice Hannatu Sankey set aside the entire proceedings of the Tribunal because of its “faulty composition”. She added that ordinarily the matter should be returned to the lower Tribunal but because it was a post-election matter where time cannot be expanded or elongated, the court cannot make an order of retrial.
The judgement was upheld by four of the five justices of the panel.
Photo credit: Twitter / Oyetola