The Supreme Court of Nigeria, Friday, upheld the elections of eight state governors.
They are those of Plateau, Caleb Mutfwang, Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Abia, Alex Otti, Kano, Abba Yusuf, Bauchi, Bala Muhammed, Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, Ebonyi, Francis Nwifuru, and Cross River, Bassey Otu .
In the case of Plateau State, a five-member panel of the Court led by Justice Emmanuel Agim held that the All-Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate are not members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and cannot challenge the primary election of the party.
Agim also held that the tribunal and Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the issue.
For Lagos state, the Court, while affirming the election of Sanwo-Olu, dismissed two separate appeals by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party, saying it found no cogent reason to deviate from the concurrent judgments of the tribunal and Court of Appeal which held that Sanwo-Olu was lawfully elected as Governor.
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It was also victory for the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti when Justice Uwani Abba-Aji who read the lead judgment, held that the appellants failed to prove substantial non-compliance in their appeal, noting that on the issue of Otti’s membership of the party, the appeal was frivolous.
In determining the case of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, the Supreme Court reversed his sack, maintaining that the Court of Appeal was wrong in affirming the decision of the tribunal which held that Yusuf did not win the majority of lawful votes cast during the governorship election.
Justice Okoro held that the tribunal was wrong in deducting the votes that accrued to Governor Yusuf.
The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed of the PDP was also affirmed as duly elected governor, after the apex court upheld the decision of the appellate court and dismissed the appeal by Sadique Abubakar of the APC for lacking in merit.
For Zamfara state, the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Dauda Lawal of the PDP, setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal which had declared the governorship election in the state inconclusive and ordered a re-run in three Local government areas.
The Court equally affirmed the victory of APC’S Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, upholding the decision of the Court of Appeal which dismissed the appeal of Chukwuma Odii of the PDP for lacking in merit.
Also, the Supreme Court upheld the election of the governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu of the APC and dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its candidate, Sandy Onar, describing the appeal as a waste of judicial time and resources.
