Osun Election: Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Against Governor Elect

The Supreme court on Thursday dismissed the appeal brought by Dotun Babayemi, challenging the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun state governorship election.

Babayemi had prayed the apex court to set aside the decisions of the lower courts and declare him as the PDP candidate for the July 16, 2023 governorship election in Osun State.

The five-member Justices of the apex court, presided over by Justice Amina Augie held that, the appeal as filed by the appellant was filed out of time as pre-election matter is time bound.

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Efforts by counsel to the appellant, Adebayo Adelodun (SAN) to convince the panel to take a look at the merits of the appeal proved abortive as the court held that it lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The Appeal, having been withdrawn by the counsel to the appellant, was subsequently dismissed by the court.

The crux of the matter

Prior to Osun 2022 governorship election, different primaries produced Babayemi and Adeleke but the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised Adeleke as the authentic candidate of the party.

Babayemi challenged the recognition of Adeleke as the candidate of the party before the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal but lost and he approached the Supreme Court after Adeleke emerged the authentic candidate of the party.

In his judgment on the matter on May 18, Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel of the Federal High Court, sitting in Osogbo, upheld the governorship primary that produced Adeleke.

Also, the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, in its judgment of July 20 on the appeal filed against the decision of the Federal High Court, Osogbo, aligned with the lower court and dismissed Babayemi’s appeal.

Babayemi then, appealed to the Supreme Court, asking it to set aside the judgements of the lower courts and declare him the governorship candidate of the PDP for the Osun state governorship election.

His appeal was however dismissed for being filed out of time and lacking jurisdiction by the Justices of the Supreme Court, in an unanimous decision by the five-member panel of the court that was delivered by Justice Amina Augie.

Emmanuel Ukoh