Supreme Court decides seven governors fate Friday
The Supreme Court will on Friday give judgment on seven governorship appeals.
The states are Lagos, Kano, Zamfara, Plateau, Ebonyi, Bauchi, and Cross River.
The PUNCH reports that the apex court decisions on the governorship election appeals are the final.
Judgments on the Kano and Plateau appeals are the most anticipated, given that the lower courts had sacked the incumbent governors of these states.
Counsel representing the parties in the appeals from the two states vigorously argued their cases at the apex court, seeking to persuade the justices why the outcome should favour their clients.
In the Kano appeal, the tribunal had nullified the election of Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party after declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid.
The tribunal held that the deducted votes were from ballot papers that were neither stamped nor signed.
He then approached the appeal court for redress.
The appeal court upheld the tribunal’s decision and faulted the lower court for not disqualifying the governor.
The appellate court said the governor was not properly sponsored by the NNPP, thus violating the provisions of Section 177 (c) of the constitution.
The court declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress winner of the election.
Yusuff will be hoping that the apex court reverses the lower courts’ decisions.
For Plateau, Caleb Mutfwang’s election was upheld by the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos but the appeal court overturned Mutfwang’s victory and declared Nentawe Goshwe of the APC the winner of the election.
The court ruled that the failure of the PDP to comply with the order of the Plateau State High Court in Jos directing it to conduct valid ward, local governments, and state congresses before nominating its candidates for the various elective posts was a breach of the law.
The appeal court, for the same reason, sacked many lawmakers elected on the PDP platform in the state.
