Osun governorship tribunal ‎delivers judgment on PDP, Adeleke’s petition Friday

The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, is to deliver judgment on the complaints lodged against the outcome of the September 2018 election in the state by the People‎s Democratic Party and its candidate in the poll, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

The three-man panel had on March 7, 2019, reserved judgment after the lawyers representing both the petitioners and defence adopted their final ‎written addresses.

The Ibrahim Sirajo-led tribunal had said parties to the suit would be given at least 48-hour notice before judgment would be delivered.

A hearing notice served on the parties by the tribunal on Tuesday indicated that the judgment would now be delivered on March 22, Friday.

Aggrieved by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election held on September 22, 2018, with the supplementary poll held on September 27, 2018, the petitioners had filed their petitions asking the tribunal to upturn Oyetola’s victory.

They alleged that Oyetola’s victory at the poll was marred by irregularities, including massive rigging, vote buying and other forms of malpractices.

They urged the court to nullify Oyetola’s victory.

The petitioners claimed that they scored the majority of the lawful votes in the election, and should be declared as the winner of the election.

They alleged that Oyetola’s victory at the poll was marred by irregularities, including massive rigging, vote buying and other forms of malpractices.

They urged the court to nullify Oyetola’s victory.

The petitioners claimed that they scored the majority of the lawful votes in the election, and should be declared as the winner.

At the March 7 proceedings of the tribunal attended by Oyetola, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) represented the governor, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), represented the APC, while Lasco Pwahomdi appeared for INEC.

In adopting their separate final addresses, Olanipekun, Olujinmi and Pwahomdi urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that the petitioners failed to prove their case.

Opposing their submissions, the petitioners’ counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), while adopting his final address, urged the tribunal to uphold the petition and grant his clients’ prayers.