Govs in joyful mood as Supreme Court rejects challengers’ cases

21th January 2024

The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election of six more governors.

The governors are Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Uba Sani of Kaduna; Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe; Nasir Idris of Kebbi,  Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, and Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State.

The apex court had last Friday delivered judgment on Plateau, Lagos, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Zamfara, Ebonyi, and Kano governorship appeals.

This sums up the resolved election appeals to 15.  In all the decided cases so far, no governor has been sacked from office.Reading the lead judgment in the Nasarawa appeal, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun held that the appeal by David Ombugadu of the PDP lacked merit.

She, however, affirmed the election of the governor of Abdullahi Sule.

She said, “The issues in this appeal are resolved against the appellant. The appeal lacks merit and it is hereby dismissed.”Sule was sacked as the governor by the tribunal but reinstated at the Court of Appeal.

Similarly, the apex court dismissed the appeal by the All Progressives Congress and its candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege, and the Labour Party and its candidate, Ken Pella as well as the appeal by Kenneth Gbagi of the Social Democratic Party against the Delta state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.

In the Omo-Agege’s appeal, the five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro said the appeal lacked merit and the appellant was unable to discharge the burden of proof placed on him.

Okoro held that subtracting the total number of votes mentioned in the result sheets complained about by Omo-Agege wouldn’t be sufficient to remove the governor from office.

Gbagi and Pella’s appeals were dismissed for lack of merit.

The court of appeal in Lagos had affirmed the election of Sheriff Oborevwori as the governor of Delta state, dismissing the appeals by the governorship candidates and their parties

The election of the Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun was also affirmed.The appellants, Ladi Adebutu, and the Peoples Democratic Party prayed to the apex court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct fresh elections in the 99 polling units where elections were allegedly cancelled.

 The Appeal Court, Lagos Division, had in a split decision on November 24, 2023, affirmed the re-election of Dapo Abiodun as the duly elected governor of Ogun State.

 The majority judgment delivered by Justice Joseph Ikyegh dismissed the appeal filed by PDP and its governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu.

 Reading the lead judgment, Justice Tijani Abubakar dismissed the appeal.

Equally, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its candidate, Mohammed Isa, declaring Uba Sani as the duly elected governor of Kaduna state.

 Reading the lead judgment, Justice Tijani Abubakar held that the appellant had nothing useful to ask the court.

 He described the appeal as vexatious, frivolous, and lacking in merit.Abubakar upheld the judgment of the lower courts, affirming the election of the governor.

 The re-election of the Gombe state governor, Inuwa Yahaya was also upheld

In the Kebbi governorship appeal, the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Nasir Idris as governor.

 Aminu Bande of the PDP had alleged that there was over-voting in some polling units and that Idris was not qualified to contest the election.

 Delivering the judgment, the court held that the appeal lacked merit and was subsequently dismissed.The apex court dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its candidate, Jibrin Barde.In a related development, aged women, including widows, on Friday afternoon, staged a protest in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital to express their displeasure over the Supreme Court’s Judgment which affirmed the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress.

Observation by our correspondent on Friday indicated that many roads in the state capital had been blocked including the ever busy Lafia -Jos road due to series of protests by the women groups.

Motorists had to take alternative routes to pass out of Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

 An automobile mechanic who identified himself as Mallam Dogo Audu called for the deployment of more security operatives to restore calm.

 Shops, business centres, and schools within the state capital had also closed for the day due to the protests.

However, no fewer than 30 aged women, including widows and eight men of Nasarawa State origin were on Friday arrested by the police while protesting the outcome of the Supreme Court Judgment which affirmed Governor Abdullahi Sule as winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.

 Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ramhan Nansel, said apart from the 38 suspects arrested by the command, 29 motorcycles were recovered by its personnel during the protests which took place in Lafia, the state capital.