The nomination of Osun‘s governor, Gboyega Oyetola, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the gubernatorial election scheduled for July 16 was revoked by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday.
The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ruled that both Oyetola and the deputy governorship candidate, Benedict Alabi, were invalid because Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe had submitted their names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in contravention of Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Governor Buni, Governor Oyetola, and others are being sued by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
After the April 7 governorship election, in which Sen. Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner by INEC, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) filed a lawsuit, represented by Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, challenging the nomination and sponsorship of Oyetola and his deputy as the duly nominated candidates of the APC.
Kunle Adegoke, SAN, who represented Oyetola, filed a motion challenging the suit’s competence, arguing, among other things, that the PDP lacked the authority to bring this action and that the statute of limitations had expired.
Ogunwumiju countered by claiming that the PDP had properly brought the suit under Section 285(14) (c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Judging in favor of the PDP, Nwite ruled that the APC’s nomination of Oyetola and Alabi was invalid.
The court also ruled that by serving as Governor of Yobe and Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of APC at the same time, Buni violated Section 183 of the Constitution.
The court ruled that Governor Buni’s actions were legally invalid, including his submission of Oyetola and Alabi’s names to INEC.
According to NAN, on July 16 INEC announced that Adeleke, the PDP candidate, had won the election for governor of Osun.
Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and the official election returner, announced that Adeleke received 403,371 votes, narrowly defeating the APC incumbent, Oyetola, who received 375,027 votes.