The Supreme Court has restored Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, as the winner of the governorship election that held in Kano State on March 18.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel of Justices, on Friday, vacated the concurrent judgments of the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which sacked Governor Yusuf and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressive Congress, APC, as winner of the gubernatorial poll.
In the lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the Supreme Court held that the two lower courts wrongly deducted valid votes that were credited to governor Yusuf by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
It held that by section 63(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, that ballot paper, which bore the official mark and was duly issued by INEC, were not totally invalid.
Also, the Supreme Court reversed the sack of Caleb Mutfwang as Governor of Plateau State.
The governor’s election was upheld by the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos, the state capital. However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, in its judgment delivered on 19 November 2023, overturned Mutfwang’s victory, prompting him to file an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the lower court’s decision.
In same spirit, the Supreme Court, upheld the election of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.
In its lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, the court dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate, Sadique Abubakar, that filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that was held in the state on March 18, 2023. They alleged that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, insisting that several electoral documents that were used during the poll were not properly filled.
While dismissing the appeal, in a common decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro, said it found no reason to dislodge the judgments of the lower courts.
Similarly, the Supreme Court also affirmed the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
In a undivided decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro, dismissed, as lacking merit, two separate appeals that challenged his return as winner of the governorship election held in the state on March 18.
The appeals were brought before the court by candidates of the Labour Party, LP, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abdulazeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor.
The appellants alleged that the Lagos State Deputy Governor took the citizenship of the United States of America, USA; and argued that since the deputy governor, by his action, was constitutionally ineligible to contest the election, it invalidated Sanwo-Olu’s candidature at the election.
Meanwhile, in its lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, the Supreme Court said there was no evidence that Sanwo-Olu’s deputy denounced his Nigerian citizenship.
According to the Supreme Court, there is no law stripping a Nigerian citizen by birth from enjoying his status, rights, and privileges owing to the acquisition of the citizenship of another country through naturalization.
Equally, the Supreme Court, on Friday, affirms the election of Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
It held that Lawal, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, secured the majority of lawful votes and was rightly declared the winner of the gubernatorial contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In the lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court, described the verdict of the appellate court as “perverse” and against the weight of evidence. It restored the earlier decision of the Zamfara State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which affirmed Lawal’s election victory.
In the same way, the Supreme Court, on Friday, affirmed the election victory of Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State.
The court, in its lead judgment that was delivered by Justice Tijjani Abubakar, dismissed two separate appeals that sought to sack Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from office.
The apex court held that it found no reason to set aside the concurrent verdicts of the Ebonyi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which upheld Nwifuru’s election.
