The battle for the governorship of Kebbi State, Nigeria, between Governor Nasir Idris of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Aminu Bande of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reached a climax as the Supreme Court reserved judgment in the dispute.
The five-man panel led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun made this decision after the parties in the petition adopted their processes during the proceedings on Tuesday. The respondents’ counsel urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit, while the appellant’s lawyers urged the apex court to find merit in the appeal and allow it.
The Court of Appeal Abuja had previously upheld the election of Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Aminu Bande, for lack of merit. The court resolved all the issues formulated for determination in favor of the governor and against the PDP and its candidate. It affirmed Idris as the duly elected governor, dismissing the allegations brought against him and his deputy governor.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) initially declared the March 18 Kebbi gubernatorial election inconclusive due to “massive vote cancellation and over-voting” in 20 of the 21 LGAs in the state. However, Governor Nasir Idris emerged victorious in the supplementary election, leading to Aminu Bande and his party filing a petition before the tribunal.
The tribunal dismissed the petitioners’ allegations, concluding that the deputy governor did not submit a fake secondary school testimonial to INEC and that the evidence presented failed to prove over-voting beyond doubt.
The Supreme Court’s impending judgment will ultimately shape the political landscape of Kebbi State, and the outcome will be eagerly anticipated by the APC, PDP, and the citizens of Nigeria.
