INEC Appeals Tribunal Judgment Sacking Adeleke as Osun Governor

Ololade Adeyanju/

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgment which sacked Ademola Adeleke as governor of Osun State.

The Osun governorship election petition tribunal had ruled in favour of Gboyega Oyetola, former governor of the state.

Delivering judgment on January 27, two out of the three-member panel of the tribunal held that Oyetola was able to prove that there was over-voting in some of the polling units.

In a notice of appeal filed today, INEC listed 44 grounds on which the tribunal judgment should be set aside.

INEC is also seeking an order “dismissing the petition of the 1st and 2nd respondents in this appeal as lacking in merit with substantial cost”.

Meanwhile, the Osun state chapter of the PDP, in a statement by Akindele Adekunle, its caretaker chairperson, has commended the commission for appealing the judgment.

“INEC has toed the right path by appealing the ‘Buga judgment’ because if such is sustained, what will happen will be candidates who lost elections manipulating server reports and presenting same to a judge to steal the election from the actual winner,” the statement reads.