The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has appealed against the judgement of Justice T. A. Kume-led Election Petition Tribunal in Osun State on 44 grounds.
To that extent, the Osun state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended INEC for initiating processes to appeal a judgement that frontally attacked the importance of the BVAS machines in the election.
READ ALSO : EFCC arraigns Yahaya Bello’s wife, nephew over ‘N3bn fraud’
But the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has also carpeted the PDP over its commendation of the INEC for initiating processes to appeal the judgement, saying the judiciary should not be dragged in the mud.
INEC filed
the petition yesterday at the Court of Appeal in Akure, through its lawyer, Paul Ananaba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The electoral body, according to a “Notice of Appeal” made available to THISDAY in Osogbo, sought an order of the Appeal Court to set aside the whole decision of the trial Tribunal and dismiss and/or striking out the Petition for want of competence and jurisdiction.
The electoral body said, the election petition tribunal erred in law by failing to consider and rule on the various preliminary objections filed by the 1st respondent challenging the competency of the petition and jurisdiction of the Election Petition Tribunal to hear the Petition but proceeded to determine the merit of the Petition.
Former Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had faulted the declaration of the candidate of People Democratic Party(PDP), Ademola Adeleke, on 17th of July, 2022, by the electoral body as the winner of the July 16th governorship election in the state.
Oyetola said APC premised their petition with reference no: EPT/OS/GOV/01/2022, on Adeleke’s eligibility to contest and over-voting and the Tribunal on 27th January, 2023 declared Oyetola as the validly elected governor of the state.