Osun poll: Adeleke survives scare as Appeal Court affirms his candidacy

The recently-elected Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has been affirmed by an Ondo State Appeal Court as the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election.

This judgement upheld the decision of the lower court which had earlier certified Adeleke as the duly elected candidate of the party.

The court battle

A PDP Chieftain, Dotun Babayemi, had approached a High Court to challenge the governorship primaries that produced Adeleke as the PDP candidate but failed in his bid.

Dissatisfied with the outcome at the High Court, Babayemi opted to seek redress at the appellate court but his case was also struck out by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

The litigant had dragged Adeleke before a Federal High Court in Osogbo, seeking to be declared as the PDP candidate for the Osun state governorship election held on July 16.

What actually happened?

The Osun State PDP is divided into two factions which both produced Babayemi and Adeleke in separate governorship primaries conducted on March 8, 2022.

Babayemi emerged winner of the primary election held at the Children and Women Development Centre in Osogbo, while on the other hand, Adeleke won the primary election held at Osogbo City Stadium.

Babayemi had claimed that the primary that produced the governor-elect failed to use the party's authentic delegates list, even though it had INEC and security operatives on ground to monitor proceedings in line with the constitution.

Pulse reports that Adeleke floored the incumbent and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, on Saturday to emerge the winner in a rematch of the 2018 election.