Adeleke celebrates Appeal Court win, calls for party mobilization

Ademola Adeleke, the governorship candidate for the Osun Accord, has asked party members and supporters to ramp up grassroots mobilization ahead of the Osun State governorship election. This comes after the Court of Appeal confirmed the party’s legal standing.

In a statement on his X account on Tuesday, Adeleke said the ruling was a win for democracy and the rule of law. He urged supporters to stay focused on the upcoming August 15 governorship election.

Adeleke stated that the judgment showed that Accord is “strong, lawful and fully prepared” for the election.

“Again, Accord is victorious, democracy and the rule of law have prevailed.

“I congratulate every member and supporter of our great Accord family as the Court of Appeal has affirmed what we have always known, our party remains strong, lawful and fully prepared for the August 15 governorship election,” Adeleke said.

He expressed gratitude to supporters for their resilience, despite what he called efforts to spread confusion and fear around the party.

“I thank you for your steadfastness despite every attempt to create confusion and fear. Now, let us put this distraction behind us and return our full focus to the people,” he added.

Adeleke urged party leaders, youths, women, and other supporters to boost mobilization efforts in polling units, wards, and communities.

“I urge every leader, youth, woman, and supporter to intensify grassroots mobilization across every polling unit, ward, and community. Together, we will secure an even more convincing victory and continue the good work of building a better Osun,” he said.

PUNCH Online previously reported that on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned the Federal High Court's judgment that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, stated that the June 15 judgment of the Federal High Court was null because the trial court did not have the authority to handle the case.

The court ruled that the case, which led to the deregistration order, was invalid since it was filed by a non-juristic entity.

The appellate court also ruled that there was no legal basis for the order requiring INEC to deregister the affected parties.

It pointed out that the lower court did not properly consider evidence presented, including records showing that some of the affected political parties had won seats in previous elections.

The Court of Appeal concluded that the Federal High Court acted despite a directive to pause proceedings until an interlocutory appeal was resolved.