Supreme Court fixes date to deliver judgment on Osun governorship poll

The Supreme Court has fixed a date to deliver its judgment on the dispute that arose from the September 2018 governorship election in Osun State.

While hearing the appeals on Monday, the apex court said it will deliver judgment on July 5, 2019.

The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and its candidate in the election, Ademola Adeleke, had filed four separate appeals before the apex court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision affirming the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its candidate, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola as the winner of the election.

A seven-man panel of justices led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, has already heard one of the appeals on Monday.

The decision on the particular appeal filed by Adeleke is to be binding on two other appeals, while the fourth appeal will be heard and a judgment delivered on it separately.

The seven man-panel rose after hearing the first appeal on Monday.

The panel is to return shortly to conclude the hearing on the remaining appeals.

Other members of the panel led by Justice Muhammad are Justices Kumai Akaahs, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Amiru Sanusi, Paul Galinje and Uwani Abba-Aji.

During the proceedings, the appellants’ lawyer, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) urged the apex court to uphold his clients’ appeal, upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal and affirm that of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which had upturned Oyetola’s victory and declared Adeleke as the duly elected governor of the state.

But Oyetola’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeal.

Counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), and that of the APC, Olumide Olujinmi also urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal.