{"id":171235,"date":"2024-01-13T05:13:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T04:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmail-ng.com\/?p=171235"},"modified":"2024-01-13T05:13:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T04:13:51","slug":"governors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmail-ng.com\/governors\/","title":{"rendered":"Governorship polls: Govs woo challengers after S\u2019Court affirmation as supporters celebrate"},"content":{"rendered":"
Immediately after the Supreme Court confirmed their cases, the governors of Lagos, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Zamfara states waved the olive branch at their challengers and asked them to join them in moving the respective states forward following the affirmation of their elections by the Supreme Court on Friday.<\/p>\n
The apex court held that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Abba Yusuf, Bala Mohammed, Caleb Mutfwang, Alex Otti, Umo Eno, Bassey Otu and Dauda Lawal were the validly elected governors of their respective states, thereby putting an end to the controversies surrounding the 2023 governorship poll.<\/p>\n
Kano<\/strong><\/p>\n The Supreme Court set aside the lower courts\u2019 decisions sacking the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.<\/p>\n The governorship petition tribunal had set aside the victory of Yusuf of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party by declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid. The tribunal held that the deducted votes were from ballot papers that were neither stamped nor signed.<\/p>\n He then approached the Court of Appeal for redress, but the appellate court upheld the tribunal\u2019s decision and said the governor was not properly sponsored by the NNPP, thus violating the provisions of Section 177(c) of the Constitution.<\/p>\n The Court of Appeal subsequently declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress the winner of the election.<\/p>\n At the Supreme Court, Justice John Okoro ordered that all the ballot papers from which the appellant\u2019s votes were deducted should be restored to the governor.<\/p>\n He said the papers contained the logo of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the coat of arms as prescribed by the Electoral Act.<\/p>\n Justice Okoro also 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 have any date.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no proof that the said ballot papers were not the ones used for the election. Thus, the decision of the Court of Appeal affirming the decision of the tribunal ought to be set aside,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n He also held that the issue of party membership was an internal affair of political parties.<\/p>\n Justice Okoro stated that Section 177(c) of the Constitution was to prevent independent candidature, adding, \u201cThe issue of nomination is exclusively the internal affairs of a political party. Therefore, it is not justiceable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue is also statute-barred. It is a pre-election contestable by co-aspirants. It is not within the right of the first respondent to question the appellant\u2019s membership. The party did not deny sponsoring him.\u201d<\/p>\n Plateau<\/strong><\/p>\n The Supreme Court also set aside the order of the Appeal Court sacking the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, whose election was earlier upheld by the Plateau State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Jos, but the Appeal Court overturned his victory and declared Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress as the winner.<\/p>\n The Appeal Court had ruled that the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party to comply with the order of the Plateau State High Court in Jos directing it to conduct valid ward, local government, and state congresses before nominating its candidates for the various elective posts was a breach of the law.<\/p>\n For the same reason, the appellate court sacked many lawmakers elected on the PDP platform in the state.<\/p>\n Reading the Supreme Court judgment on Friday, Justice Emmanuel Agim held that the APC and its candidate were not members of the PDP and could not challenge the primary elections of the PDP.<\/p>\n He also held that the tribunal and Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the issue.<\/p>\n Justice Agim noted that the petition of the APC in the first place was an abuse of court process and faulted the Appeal Court for sacking the governor.<\/p>\n He said, \u201cThe petition by the APC and its candidates is an abuse of the court process. I wonder why the matter came to court at all. This appeal is allowed. The legal profession should wake up or render itself irrelevant. The judgment of the Court of Appeal is set aside.<\/p>\n \u201c\u201cMy only worry is that a lot of people have suffered as a result of the Court of Appeal\u2019s decision. It was absolutely wrong. The appeal is allowed,\u201d Justice Okoro said while agreeing with the judgment.<\/p>\n Zamfara<\/strong><\/p>\n The Supreme Court also reserved the decision of the Court of Appeal declaring the governorship election in Zamfara State inconclusive.<\/p>\n The tribunal had dismissed the petition of the APC governorship candidate, Bello Matawalle, challenging the victory of Dauda Lawal of the PDP.<\/p>\n But the Appeal Court declared the election in the state inclusive and ordered a rerun in Maradun, Birnin-Magaji and Bukkuyum local government areas.<\/p>\n The court held that it was wrong for INEC to adopt results from the result viewing portal to declare the winner in the affected local government areas, adding, \u201cIReV is not part of the collation system but for viewing purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n