The Supreme Court has commenced hearing in the appeal filed before it by the gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Paryy (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Following the September 22nd governorship election in the state, Senator Ademola Adeleke challenged the declaration of Governor Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governor.
The suit was filed following the decalaration of Governor Oyetola as winner of the state governorship election by the Court of Appeal on March 9, 2019.
Recall that the Court of Appeal had upturned the verdict of the State Election Petition Tribunal which had declared Senator Adeleke as the winner based on irregular composition of judges of the lower tribunal, where the judge who delivered the majority judgment, Justice Peter Obiorah, was absent in the proceedings of the lower court, affected the right of the appellant to fair hearing.
The five member panel of justices, which was presided by Justice Jummai Sankey, also upheld 10 out of the 12 issues raised by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC that the lower tribunal lacked the jurisdiction to entertain some of the grounds of the petition brought by Adeleke over the September 22, 2018 governorship election.
It held that having ruled that the claims of over-voting and voiding of valid votes were unproven by the tribunal in the 17 polling units out of 3,010 polling units in the state, the non-compliance was not substantial to proceed to compute and deduct votes.
However, Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the verdict and proceeded to the Apex Court urging it to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which was in favour of Oyetola of the APC.
Adeleke also contended that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it upheld the appeals by APC and INEC, challenging the decision of the tribunal.
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