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Supreme Court Dismisses Suit Against Oyetola’s Participation In Osun Election

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The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seeking to restore the nullification of the participation of Osun’s ex-governor Gboyega Oyetola and his deputy Benedict Alabi in the July 16, 2022 governorship election.

A five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Centus Nweze on Thursday, February 2, 2023, held that the appeal by the PDP lacked merit and directed the counsel to the PDP Kehinde Ogunwumiju to withdraw it.

The court held that the PDP could not, under the law,  question the process leading to the emergence of Oyetola and Alabi as candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in a judgment on September 30, 2022, nullified the participation of Oyetola and Alabi in the governorship election on the grounds that their nomination forms were endorsed by an acting Chairman of APC, who was also a serving governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

Justice Nwite’s judgment was set aside by the Court of Appeal, Abuja in a judgment in December last year, a decision the PDP appealed to the Supreme Court.

Tribunal Sacks Adeleke As Osun Governor, Declares Oyetola Winner

The Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo on Friday, January 27, 2023, has sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke as the duly elected governor of the state.

The tribunal in a split document of two to one is declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Adeleke and issued same to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

The majority judgement which was read by the Chairman, Justice Tertse Kume said Oyetola scored the majority lawful votes of 314,931 against Adeleke’s 290,266.

The minority judgement is ongoing.

‘Former governors go with their official cars’ – Osun Speaker Counters Adeleke

Timothy Owoeye, the speaker of Osun House of Assembly, on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, said the state law empowers governors, their deputies, and some top public officials to go with their official vehicles when they retire from office.

Owoeye made this known during plenary while reacting to the call made by Gov. Ademola Adeleke, asking the former governor Gboyega Oyetola, his deputy, cabinet members, and some public office holders who served under the previous administration, to return the official vehicles in their custody.

The speaker said, according to the State Public Office Holders (payment of pension and severance packages) Bill 2018, signed into law in 2019, the former governor is empowered to go away with his official vehicles.

He, however, invited the secretary to the state government (SSG), Mr Teslim Igbalaye, and the state chief of Staff, Mr Kasim Akinleye, to come for a holistic discussion on the matter.

“I want to call on the SSG and Chief of Staff to let us discuss this matter holistically,” the Osun speaker said.

“Apart from the fact that we have a Public Office Holders (payment of pension and severance packages) Law, that was passed in 2019,  I will not say anything further until I see the SSG and Chief of Staff.

“Both of them are not summoned to appear before the Assembly but to let us come together for discussion.

“There are so many things we can settle without denting the image of anybody,” the speaker said.

Similarly, the speaker said the issue of the total debt profile of the state was being investigated by a 10-man committee of the Assembly, empowered by Sections 128 and 129 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999).

He said the sections of the constitution allow the Assembly to investigate further, the real debt profile of the state, which the Assembly initiated on December 21, 2022.

Source: ChannelsTV

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