The Court of Appeal, Akure division declared the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the September governorship election in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke eligible to contest the election.
The court made the ruling on Saturday putting an end to the controversy concerning his eligibility to contest or hold the office of the governor.
The Appeal Court in its ruling dismissed an appeal against the judgment of an Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo which had earlier confirmed the eligibility of Adeleke to contest the governorship election.
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The Osun State High Court had earlier ruled that Adeleke was qualified to contest for the governorship election, having been educated up to secondary school level.
The petitioners had appealed the ruling stating Adeleke was qualified to contest and therefore claimed Dr Akin Ogunbiyi who was runner up in the primaries should be declared winner instead.
The Appeal court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital in its ruling dismissed the appeal on three grounds, affirming the judgment of the lower court that confirmed the eligibility of Adeleke.
The first ground was that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.
The second was that the sponsored petitioner; one Kingsley Awosiyan from Ife Central has no locus standi to file the case and third was that the matter was brought to court outside the stipulated 14 days after the conduct of the Governorship primary election.
In reaction to the ruling, Adeleke’s lawyer, Nathaniel Oke said the latest judgement has overruled the judgement of an Abuja High court which had nullified Adeleke’s candidacy due to an alleged fake secondary school result.
Oke said the judgement’s conclusion jade been rendered ineffective, null and void with no effect on the candidacy of Ademola Adeleke for the September 2018 gubernatorial election.
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