An Appeal Court seating in Akure has on Saturday validated the eligibility of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, in the last Osun governorship election, Ademola Adeleke, to contest the election.

This is based on the controversy over Adeleke’s secondary school certificate submitted to INEC for the election.

The lower court had ruled that the senator did not have a valid secondary certificate and so failed to satisfy the minimum requirement for eligibility to contest the election according to the Nigerian constitution.

Not satisfied with this, Adeleke and his legal team went to court to appeal the Judgement.

The three man panel made up of M.A. Danjuma (presiding); R.M. Abdullahi, and P.A. Mahmoud, supported the appeal and nullified the Judgment from the Abuja High Court stating that Adeleke was not qualified to contest for the election.

This came after a High court in Oshogbo has earlier declared that Adeleke was qualified to contest the election when the runner up in the election Dr.Akin Ogunbiyi disagreed with this ruling and went ahead to appeal in court.

His appeal was dismissed on three grounds
– The first ground was that the court has no jurisdiction to hear the case.

– The sponsored petitioner, one Kingsley Awosiyan from Ife Central, has no locus standi to file the case.

– The matter was brought to court outside the stipulated 14 days after the conduct of the governorship primary election.

This in turn has put to rest every controversy over Adeleke’s qualification to contest the election that held last year