The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State are both optimistic about victory as the Supreme Court decides on the authentic winner of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared PDP candidate Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the election with 403,371 votes, defeating then incumbent governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC, who got 375,027 votes.
However, Oyetola and the APC rejected the result and went to the Election Petition Tribunal to challenge it.
The tribunal, in its January 27, 2023 majority verdict, annulled Adeleke’s victory and declared Oyetola as the winner of the poll. But a minority judgment by Justice B. Ogbuli affirmed Adeleke as the winner of the poll.
Dissatisfied, Adeleke and the PDP headed to the Court of Appeal, which on March 24 nullified the tribunal judgment and returned Adeleke as the winner.
Oyetola and the APC were not satisfied with the judgment and proceeded to the Supreme Court, which held the matter on Monday and fixed judgment for today (Tuesday).
At the sitting of the apex court panel that heard the matter on Monday, the parties adopted their briefs and addressed the court after which the panel announced Tuesday for judgment.
Speaking on behalf of the APC, Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, expressed confidence in the party’s case and said they were hoping for the best.
On the other hand, the Osun PDP Director of Media, Oladele Olabamiji, said the party was expecting the apex court to uphold the verdict of the Court of Appeal that validated Adeleke’s victory in the governorship poll.
As the Supreme Court’s decision looms, both parties have urged their supporters to remain calm and law-abiding.