The Supreme Court has confirmed the former governor of Osun state, Gboyega Oyetola, and Benedict Alabi as the rightful governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 16, 2022 governorship election.
The Apex court also dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the nullification of the duo’s participation in the election.
Recall that 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 the APC who was also a serving governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja set aside Justice Nwite’s judgment in December last year, and the PDP appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.
On Thursday morning, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Centus Nweze, held that the appeal by the PDP was without merit and directed the lawyer to the PDP, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) 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. (The Nation)
