The Supreme Court is set to announce rulings on gubernatorial appeals in Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Zamfara, Ebonyi, Bauchi, and Cross River states today. Among these states, the disputes in Kano and Plateau are particularly contentious.
In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, is in a legal battle with Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress, APC. In September, a five-member panel, led by Justice John Okoro, nullified Governor Yusuf’s victory in the March 18 governorship election, affirming Nasiru Gawuna as the legitimate governor. Despite the Court of Appeal upholding this decision on November 13, stating Abba Yusuf’s candidacy breached Electoral Law, the governor has appealed to the Supreme Court for redress.
Plateau
On January 9, 2024, the Supreme Court deferred its decision on the appeal lodged by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who sought to overturn the Court of Appeal’s annulment of his election. Justice John Okoro, leading a five-member panel, reserved judgment after hearing arguments from both sides. Mutfwang’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, urged the court to uphold the Tribunal’s verdict and overturn the appellate court’s decision, asserting that the respondents lack the right to question a party’s internal executive elections.
Zamfara
In November, the Court of Appeal invalidated the election of Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal. Despite winning the March 18 gubernatorial election with 377,726 votes and unseating incumbent Bello Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress, Lawal faced opposition. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, now the Minister of State for Defence, accused INEC of undermining his victory by omitting results from specific ward areas.
In a prior decision on September 18, the Zamfara Election Petitions Tribunal deemed the petition meritless and upheld Lawal’s victory while imposing a N500,000 fine on the petitioners. Matawalle, unsatisfied, predictably appealed to the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge the lower court’s ruling. However, a three-member panel, led by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi, granted relief to Matawalle on Thursday, annulling Lawal’s gubernatorial win and directing INEC to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas.
Bauchi
In November, the appellate court affirmed Governor Bala Mohammed’s victory in Bauchi State’s March 18 gubernatorial election. The appeal, brought by Sadique Abubakar, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, was dismissed unanimously by a three-justice panel. No costs were awarded, and the court ruled that each party should bear its own expenses. The appellant’s plea to nullify the election due to alleged irregularities in form-filling was rejected for lack of evidence.
Lagos
The Appeal Court in Lagos upheld the tribunal’s decision in November, confirming Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Lagos state. The unanimous decision dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) appeals for lack of merit. Despite INEC declaring Sanwo-Olu the winner in March, the LP and PDP candidates contested the results, leading to a dismissal by the tribunal in September. Dissatisfied, they pursued the appellate court, which also dismissed their suits. The final verdict from the apex court is expected on Friday.
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