Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was reinstated after the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside the tribunal judgment that had nullified his election. In a unanimous decision, a three‑member panel led by Justice Mohammed Lawal found Adeleke’s appeal against his removal by the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal to be meritorious. The court also ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, to pay costs of N500,000.
Justice Mohammed Shaibu, delivering the judgment, overruled the tribunal’s decision that had directed the withdrawal of Adeleke’s Certificate of Return and its issuance to Oyetola. The appellate court held that the burden of proving over‑voting rested on the petitioner and emphasized that a party alleging non‑compliance with the electoral act must prove its case, rather than relying solely on the opponent’s weaknesses.
The tribunal had previously annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola the authentic winner, despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) having returned Adeleke as the winner with 403,371 votes to Oyetola’s 375,027. After the APC rejected the INEC result, the tribunal’s majority verdict on 27 January 2023, led by Justice Tertse Kume, affirmed Oyetola’s win, while a minority judgment by Justice B. Ogbuli upheld Adeleke’s victory. Dissatisfied, Adeleke and the PDP appealed to the Court of Appeal, which heard the case on 13 March and reserved judgment. On Friday, the Court of Appeal set aside the tribunal’s ruling, confirming Ademola Adeleke as the legitimate governor of Osun State.
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