The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sealing his victory over then incumbent governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, in the keenly contested 16 July 2022 election in the state.
The judgement of a five-member panel, on Tuesday, upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which had earlier on 24 March affirmed Mr Adeleke’s victory.
It lays to rest the dispute over the outcome of the governorship election, and extinguishes Mr Oyetola’s hopes of coming back to office after his momentary victory at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal gave him in January.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Adeleke as the winner of the election in an upset that deprived Mr Oyetola a second term in office.
Displeased with INEC’s result, Mr Oyetola had approached the election petition tribunal in Osogbo, the state capital, to challenge the outcome of the poll.
The tribunal in its decision in January ruled in favour of Mr Oyetola by declaring him the winner of the election, and sacking Mr Adeleke who was just months in office.
Mr Adeleke, who remained in office to exhaust his right of appeal, had appealed against the decision of the tribunal.
