Osun governorship tribunal to deliver judgement Friday

The Osun state governorship election tribunal in Abuja has fixed Friday for judgement in the petition filed by Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to challenge the result of the election in the state.

Adeleke is challenging the emergence of Gboyega Oyetola, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the September 2018 election in the state.

At a resumed hearing on March 7, Ibrahim Sirajo, the chairman of the tribunal, had announced that the parties would be sent details of the judgement date 48 hours earlier.

At the hearing, Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to the petitioner, had asked the tribunal to uphold the petition and grant his prayers.

Meanwhile, Wole Olanipekun, Oyetola’s counsel; Akin Olujinmi, counsel to the APC and Lasco Pwahomdi, counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

Olanipekun said the petition is full of confusion and has breached the electoral law.

“They are also asking the tribunal to quash some of their votes. A self-confessed petitioner, who has in writing, admitted infringing the law, cannot be asking to be returned as a winner of the election,” Olanipekun said.

“In their relief seven, they want the court to nullify the certificate of return, but they failed to present the certificate before the tribunal. Where is that certificate? Can the tribunal nullify what is not before it?

“They said the certificate of return is with us. If it is with us, should they not have given us a notice to produce it? They did not give us notice to produce.”