Osun tribunal concludes pre-hearing, begins real session October 26

The Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has fixed October 26 for hearing of the petition filed by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola against the declaration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ademola Adeleke, as the state’s governor-elect.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Adeleke as the winner of the July 16 election in Osun State after polling 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 375, 027 votes in the exercise.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Tertsea Kume, fixed the date after the conclusion of the pre-hearing session on Thursday in Osogbo.

He also announced that the pre-hearing conference reports would be presented on October 17 while proper hearing would begin on October 26.

Kume said 10 different motions were filed with responses and heard together by both the petitioners and respondents.

Earlier, the counsel for Oyetola and APC, Prof. Lasun Sanusi (SAN), told the tribunal that he had responded to all the motions filed and also adopted the same on issues formulated.

READ ALSO: Osun Tribunal ruling is strange, unknown to law, Aregbesola says

Sanusi was replying to separate applications filed by the respondents, seeking the dismissal of the petition based on the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which disqualified Oyetola from contesting the election.

He said the judgment had been appealed and urged the court to dismiss the motion brought by the respondents pending the determination by the appellate court.

The PDP counsel, Mr. Alex Izion (SAN), urged the tribunal not to entertain the applications filed by the petitioners on the point of the law.

Izion said that since APC did not argue against the responses to its application, it should be dismissed on the ground of jurisdiction.

Counsel to INEC, Mr Paul Ananaba, told the tribunal that the court’s judgment which nullified Oyetola’s candidacy has no stay of execution and the tribunal should abide by it.

However, counsel for all the parties in the matter agreed to begin the full hearing on October 26.

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