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LIVE UPDATES: Gov Bala of Bauchi, Abba of Kano, Dauda of Zamfara, Mutfwang of Plateau, Others Win at Supreme Court over Guber Tussles
Supreme Court affirms Dauda of Zamfara duly elected governor….
The Supreme Court has affirmed Governor Dauda Lawa of the People Democratic Party (PDP) as the valid winner of the governorship election that held in Zamfara State.
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Supreme Court affirms Abba of Kano duly elected governor…. vacates order recognising APC’s candidate, Ganuwa as winner.
The Supreme Court has restored Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as the valid 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 judgements 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 judgement 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 the 165,663 votes that were deducted from Yusuf and the NNPP on the premise the ballot papers were not signed, stamped or dated, were valid.
The court held that contrary to the position of the lower courts, a total of 146, 292 of the ballot papers were confirmed to have been signed and stamped, only that they did not contain any date.
It held that by section 63(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, that ballot papers, which bore the official mark and was duly issued by INEC, were not totally invalid.
Besides, the court held that there was no evidence that governor Yusuf influenced the non signing of the ballot papers.
More so, the court faulted the lower courts for nullifying Yusuf’s election on the premise that he was not a member of the NNPP.
By PRNigeria
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Supreme Court reverses sack of Plateau Gov
Mutfwang, dismisses APC’S petition
The Supreme Court has reversed the judgment of the Court of Appeal which in November last year removed governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State from office on ground of unlawful nomination.
The apex court held that the Court of Appeal made fundermental error in allowing the All Progressives Congress APC to poke nose into the conduct of the primary election by the People’s Democratic Party PDP and nullified the election unjustly.
Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim who delivered the lead of the unanimous judgment said that the issue of primary election was an internal affairs of political parties and that no other party can dabble into it except members of the same party.
Besides, Justice Agim said that the issue of alleged improper conduct of the ward and local governments election used to sack the Governor was not justiceable.
He said that conduct of the ward and local governments election was an affairs of the State Executive Committee of a political party while the conduct of the primary election for the nomination of a governorship candidate is entirely that of the National Executive Committee of a political party.
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Justice Agim held that there was no issue of irregularities in the ways and manners the Governorship primary election that produced the governor was conducted in Plateau and wondered why that of the ward election was used to nullify the gubernatorial poll.
He said that evidence was even well adduced that an order of Plateau State High Court allegedly disobeyed was indeed obeyed by parties involved.
Justice Agim therefore voided and set aside the order of the Court of Appeal that
Nentawe Goshwehe, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) be inaugurated as Plateau State Governor.
The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal which had earlier dismissed the petition of the APC and its governorship candidate.
By PRNigeria
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Supreme Court Affirms Bala Mohammed’s Election As Bauchi Governor
The apex court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal and dismissed the appeal by Sadique Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress for lacking in merit.
The Supreme court has affirmed the election of Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Bauchi State governor.
The apex court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal and dismissed the appeal by Sadique Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress for lacking in merit.
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Supreme Court Affirms Sanwo-Olu’s Election As Bauchi Governor
The People’s Democratic Party PDP has finally lost its legal battle on the Lagos State Governorship seat to Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Kehinde Obafemi Hamzat as the duly elected governor and deputy governor of Lagos State, respectively.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal of the party and its governorship candidate, Olajide Adeniran, a.k.a. Jandor for want of merit and substance.
In a unanimous verdict, delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, the Apex Court held that the Court of Appeal was right in declining jurisdiction in the case because there was no basis to have done so.
Specifically, the Supreme Court held that the appellants failed to prove their allegations of forgery and non-qualification against Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat thereby making their case to devoid merit.
No cost was awarded against the appellants.
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Kano, Bauchi, Zamfar, Plateau, Ebonyi Govs arrive Supreme Court for judgments on guber legal battles.
At least five sitting state governors have stormed the Supreme Court to witness judgments billed to be delivered in their respective legal battles.
They are Abba Kabir Yusuf for Kano, Bala Mohammed for Bauchi, Caleb Mutfaang for Plateau and Dauda Lawal for Zamfara and Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi.
Former Plateau state governor and currently a senator, Simon Lalong is also inside the court room for the make or mar verdict.
As expected, the governors arrived the court room with a retinue of followers who were however turned back immediately after escorting their principals into the court room.
At the time of this report, the court room has been jam-packed by lawyers, Journalists and accredited political party leaders.
Meanwhile, the Justices are being awaited into the court room for the judgment delivery.
The states where their governors are expected to know their fates on whether to remain in office or be shovelled out are Kano, Plateau, Bauchi, Cross River, Abia, Zamfara, Cross River and Ebonyi.
