From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Supreme Court, on Friday, declared six governors of Ogun, Delta, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Gombe and Kebbi duly elected in the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
In Ogun state, the apex court declared Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as duly elected.
A five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by Oladipupo Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, challenging the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the election of Abiodun as governor of Ogun state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Abiodun winner of the March 18th governorship election in Ogun State after polling 276,298 votes to defeat his closest rival, Adebutu, who polled 262,383 votes.
Adebutu challenged Abiodun’s re-election on the ground that the Electoral Act, 2022 was not adhered to, citing corrupt practices and issue of non-qualification.
He had prayed the apex court to set aside the election of Dapo Abiodun as governor because INEC, had initially cancelled elections in 99 polling units and consequently ordered those fresh elections be conducted in those polling units.
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos State, affirmed the re-election of Abiodun in split decision.
Justice Joseph Shagbaor Ikyegh, who read the majority judgement, dismissed the appeal filed by Adebutu, for lacking in merit.
However, Justice Jane Esienanwan Inyang, who delivered the minority judgement, agreed with the appellant and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.
The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had equally dismissed the PDP case.
In Nasarawa case, the Supreme Court upheld the victory of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress APC, in the March 18th gubernatorial election in Nasarawa State.
A five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, dismissed the joint appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Emmanuel David Ombugadu, challenging the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which affirmed the election of Governor Sule.
The Appeal Court had on November 23, set aside the October 2 judgement of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which earlier nullified Gov Sule’s election.
The court similarly dismissed Gombe’s case that was joint appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Jibrin Barde, against the victory of Governor Muhammad Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gombe state.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, dismissed the appeal on lack of merit.
The court upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which earlier affirmed Inuwa as duly elected governor in the 2023 election.
The apex court had earlier dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala, against the election of Governor Inuwa.
The Supreme Court on Friday also dismissed the joint appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Jibrin Barde, against the victory of Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Gombe state.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, dismissed the appeal on lack of merit.
The court upheld the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which earlier affirmed Inuwa as duly elected governor in the 2023 election.
Also, the Supreme Court has affirmed the victory of Governor Nasir Idris in the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kebbi State.
A five-member panel of the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its governorship candidate, Aminu Bande against the election of Governor Idris.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Nasiru Idris of the APC as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election, in Kebbi State, after he polled 409,225 votes to beat Bande, who scored 360,940 votes.
Bande and the PDP had approached the apex court seeking to nullify the victory of Governor Idris after the Court of Appeal and the Kebbi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal separately dismissed their petition against the election.
In its judgment on Friday, the panel of justices of the apex court unanimously held that the appeal lacked merit.
The Supreme Court has declared Governor Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress , APC, as the duly elected Governor of Kaduna State, in the 2023 gubernatorial election.
A five-member panel of the apex court, in a unanimous judgment on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by Isah Ashiru, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, challenging the victory of Governor Sani in the March 18 gubernatorial election in Kaduna state.
Ashiru had prayed the court to set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which declared Uba Sani as Governor.
In its ruling on Friday, the apex court affirmed the judgments of the lower court and dismissed Ashiru’s appeal as lacking merit.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also passed the ultimate test as his election in the 2023 governorship election in Delta State was affirmed by the apex court.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, dismissed the three separate appeals filed by Ovie Omo-Agege, candidate of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, and his counterparts in the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and the Labour Party, LP, in the March 18th governorship election in Delta state.
The appellants had prayed the apex court to set aside the judgement of the lower courts which earlier affirmed the victory of Oborevwori in the election.
A five-member panel of the apex court held that the appellants Omo-Agege failed to prove their case that the 2023 gubernatorial election in Delta State was conducted without substantial compliance with the Electoral Act.
