Ademola Adeleke gets victory as Supreme Court affirms him as Osun PDP governor

The Supreme Court has affirmed Ademola Adeleke as the duly elected governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Oyedotun Babayemi, a governorship aspirant, had taken Adeleke before a federal high court in Osogbo, seeking to be declared as the PDP candidate for the July 16 governorship election in Osun state.

Two factions of the party had, on March 8, 2021, conducted separate governorship primaries featuring Adeleke and Babayemi.

Babayemi was declared the winner of the primary held at the Children and Women Development Centre in Osogbo, while the primary held at Osogbo City Stadium and backed by the PDP national working committee produced Adeleke.

In a list of candidates later released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adeleke was recognised as the duly-elected candidate for the PDP.

In a judgment delivered on May 18, Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel, the judge of the federal high court, held that the primary which produced Babayemi is null and void.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Babayemi filed a suit at the court of appeal, Akure, challenging the judgment of the lower court and seeking to be declared as the PDP governorship candidate.

The court of appeal, in its judgment on July 20, upheld the verdict of the high court and consequently dismissed Babayemi’s appeal.