UPDATE: SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS SANWO-OLU’S ELECTION, SEVEN OTHER GOVERNOR’S FATE UNDERWAY
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The governors of the states of Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, and Zamfara have gathered at the Supreme Court in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, awaiting the court’s ruling in the controversies surrounding the governorship elections that involve at least eight current governors who were elected in March of last year and took office on May 29, 2023.
As they wait for the justices of the highest court to arrive and give their rulings, governors Abba Yusuf (Kano), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) are already seated in the courtroom with their attorneys.
The five-person panel of justices is expected to arrive in a few minutes, and everyone in the courtroom is excitedly awaiting their arrival.
Simon Lalong, the former governor of Plateau State, is present in the courtroom.
The governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, recently came into the courtroom. Ebonyi State is also included on the cause list. But Nasarawa State isn’t there.
Journalists and recognised political party leaders throng the courtroom.
As the judgement is being delivered, the justices are being anticipated in the courtroom.
The following states’ governors are anticipated to be informed of their prospects for continuing in office: Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Bauchi, Cross River, Abia, Zamfara, Cross River, and Ebonyi.
There are now eight justices on the panel, with Justice John Okoro in the lead.
In late December, the highest court postponed making a decision on the appeal that Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf filed to contest the decision of the State Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal that had removed him from office.
Following the parties’ adoption of their briefs of arguments, the five-member panel presided over by Justice John Okoro reserved the verdict.
The tribunal declared in September that Yusuf, the New Nigeria’s Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, was not eligible to win the March 18 governorship election.
The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Nasiru Gawuna was also recognised by the tribunal as Kano’s legitimately elected governor.
On November 13, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the tribunal. In its ruling, the Appeal Court agreed with the judgement of the tribunal, ruling that the fielding of Abba Yusuf was in breach of the Electoral Law as he was not qualified to contest that election. But the governor proceeded to the Supreme Court to seek redress.
In an appeal filed by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the Supreme Court postponed its ruling on January 9, 2024, in an attempt to reverse the Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying his election.
Justice John Okoro, chairing the five-member panel of justices, heard arguments from parties supporting and opposing the appeal before deferring to his decision.
The governor asked the court, through Kanu Agabi, his attorney, to uphold the tribunal’s decision and set aside the appeal court’s decision, arguing that the respondents had no jurisdiction to inquire into the process by which a party chooses its state executives.
He said the defendants (Nentawe Goshwe and the All Progressives Congress) may not allege that the governor did not score the amount of legitimate votes allotted to him, but at the same time, they say the election was invalid.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was directed to give a Certificate of Return to Goshwe by the Appeal Court in Abuja in November, but the governor went to the highest court to seek redress.
He said the defendants (Nentawe Goshwe and the All Progressives Congress) may not allege that the governor did not score the amount of legitimate votes allotted to him, but at the same time, they say the election was invalid.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was directed to give a Certificate of Return to Goshwe by the Appeal Court in Abuja in November, but the governor went to the highest court to seek redress.
As anticipated by observers, an unhappy Matawalle challenged the lower court’s ruling before the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
On Thursday, Matawalle received some relief when the three-member panel, presided over by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi, overturned Governor Lawal’s reelection as the governor of the state.
In three local government areas of the state where elections had not been held before or where the results from different polling places had not been tallied, Justice Sybil Nwaka directed INEC to hold new elections.
However, the governor went to the highest court in order to get justice.
Additionally, in November, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed’s victory in the March 18 governorship election was upheld by the appellate court.
Sadique Abubakar, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor, filed the appeal after the tribunal’s decision to affirm Mohammed’s victory.
The court decided that all parties involved in the case should pay their own costs, and the panel of three justices reached this decision unanimously.
The appellant’s plea order was read aloud by Justice Chidi Nwaoma Uwa, the presiding judge, before the appeal court.
On plea number one, the appellant pleaded that the election be nullified because the forms and booklets used in the election were not properly filled. The court ruled that the appellant failed to prove this allegation with the needed evidence.
In November, the Lagos Appeal Court upheld the tribunal’s ruling, allowing Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat to resume their positions as the state’s governor and deputy governor, respectively.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) had their appeals denied by the justices of the court of appeals for lack of merit in a unanimous ruling.
Sanwo-Olu was proclaimed the victor of the Lagos governorship election by INEC in March.
Sanwo-Olu defeated Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, popularly known as GRV, of the LP, who received 312,329 votes, for a total of 762,134 votes. With 62,449 votes, PDP’s Abdulazeez Adediran, who is well-known as Jandor, finished a distant third.
The PDP and LP candidates, dissatisfied, filed a petition with the Lagos State Election Petitions Tribunal to have Sanwo-Olu’s victory declared void.
On September 25, the tribunal dismissed a lawsuit filed by Adediran and Rhodes-Vivour to overturn Sanwo-Olu’s election victory.
The pair filed an appeal with the higher court after being dissatisfied with the decision, but the court dismissed their cases. The two men then went before the highest court, which is scheduled to provide a decision on Friday.
In the appeal pertaining to the Ebonyi State gubernatorial election, the Supreme Court postponed its ruling on Tuesday.
The election of APC candidate Francis Nwifuru as the legitimately elected governor of Ebonyi State in the March 18 governorship election was upheld by the Court of Appeal in Lagos last November.
Chukwuma Odii of the PDP filed an appeal, but the three-member panel led by Justice Jummai Sankey unanimously rejected it and affirmed the tribunal’s earlier ruling. Nevertheless, the PDP candidate went to the highest court to seek remedy.
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