Nigeria — On Tuesday, the Nigerian Supreme Court ruled in favour of Ademola Adeleke, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Osun state governorship election, upholding his election victory. Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had challenged the election results, alleging over-voting in the July 16, 2022 election.
The Supreme Court justices, led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, dismissed the appeal on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The five-member panel adopted the judgement read by Justice Agim, which also upheld the decision of the Appeal Court that confirmed Adeleke's election victory. The court noted that the appeal lacked merit.
Initially, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Adeleke as the winner of the election with 403,371 votes while Oyetola had 375,027 votes, but Oyetola and his party alleged irregularities in the polls and challenged the decision at the Tribunal. In January 2023, Justice Tertse Kume upturned Adeleke's victory and declared Oyetola the winner with 314,931 votes to Adeleke's 290,266 votes.
The PDP and Adeleke appealed the Tribunal judgement at the Court of Appeal, which on March 24, 2023, nullified the initial judgement and returned Adeleke as the winner. Oyetola and the APC, unsatisfied with the Appeal Court's verdict, headed for the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court's decision brings an end to the legal battle over the Osun state governorship election. It affirms Adeleke's victory, and he will continue as the state governor.
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