In a decisive ruling that settles a protracted legal dispute, the Supreme Court has upheld Senator Ademola Adeleke as the duly elected governor of Osun State, effectively putting an end to the months-long battle with former Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, a member of the five-man panel that presided over the case, delivered the lead judgment, affirming the victory of Senator Adeleke. The court held that the appellants, Mr. Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC), failed to present substantial evidence to substantiate their claims of voter over-voting and improper accreditation.
Justice Agim emphasized that the evidence put forth by the appellants lacked the crucial Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines’ records from the disputed 744 polling units. Consequently, these records could not be considered as the primary source of data for the accredited voters in those units. The failure to provide authentic voter accreditation records from the BVAS indicated that the appellants relied on secondary, inadequate, and inadmissible means to support their allegations.
Furthermore, the court ruled that the expert analysis presented by the APC and Mr. Oyetola was biased, as the expert in question had affiliations with the APC and a vested interest in Mr. Oyetola. This lack of independence undermined the credibility of their analysis, leading to the appellant’s failure to substantiate their claims.
“The appellant’s case clearly crumbled upon the conclusion of evidence,” stated Justice Agim, underscoring the weakness of the appellant’s petition.
Mr. Oyetola sought redress at the Supreme Court following the Appeal Court’s decision to overturn his victory at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had originally affirmed Senator Adeleke as the validly elected governor.
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