Abiodun vs Adebutu: Supreme Court Gives Final Judgement On Ogun Governorship Election

The Supreme Court on Friday, 19th January, 2024, affirmed the election of Dapo Abiodun as Governor of Ogun State.

The apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Oladipo Adebutu, challenging the election of Dapo Abiodun as Governor of Ogun State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had declared that Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled a total of 276,298 votes to defeat his closest rival, Adebutu of the PDP, who garnered a total of 262,383 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Adebutu approached the Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, insisting that he was the valid winner of the gubernatorial contest.

He told the tribunal that he secured the highest number of valid votes cast at the election and, therefore, ought to have been declared the winner by INEC.

However, Adebutu’s petition was dismissed by the Justice Hamidu Kunaza-led three-man tribunal, which affirmed Abiodun as the bona fide winner of the contest.

Not satisfied, the PDP candidate approached the appeal court but suffered a similar fate.

On Friday, the Supreme Court also dismissed the appeal filed by the PDP and its candidate, Adebutu, for lacking in merit, thus bringing an end to the legal tussle on the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in Ogun State.