The Supreme Court has struck out a suit challenging the nomination of Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun State, as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate in the state’s 2022 governorship election

Senator Ademola Adeleke, the incumbent Governor of Osun State, had approached the apex court to disqualify Oyetola from participating in the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state, claiming the former governor was not properly nominated at the time.

Led by Justice Centus Nweze, the court ruled that the appeal was unmeritorious, holding that the nomination of a candidate is lawfully an internal process of a political party and not open to a non-member to interfere with.

Adeleke, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, built his case on the fact that Oyetola was nominated by an interim leadership of the APC under Mai Mala Buni, the Governor of Yobe State.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had on September 20, 2022, disqualified Oyetola and his deputy, Benedict Alabi, from contesting in the governorship election, but the Court of Appeal nullified the judgment in December. Adeleke, however, pursued the case to the Supreme Court.