The Supreme Court has slated judgement for today, January 19, in the disputes over the last governorship elections in five states of Ogun, Kebbi, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Delta.
Tension is high in the states over the expectations of political parties and their supporters on the rulings.
In the Gombe State governorship court tussle, the court is to rule on an appeal filed by Jibrin Barde, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP), in which the party seeks to overturn Governor Muhammad Yahaya’s (APC) election.
The court’s schedule showed that judgements on two Ogun-related appeals, marked SC/CV/1221/2023 by Oladipupo Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and SC/CV/1223/2023 by the incumbent governor, Adedapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were to be delivered on Thursday, January 18.
Adebutu and the PDP’s appeal seek to overturn Abiodun’s election.
In the Gombe governorship, the court intends to rule on an appeal filed by Jibrin Barde, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, in which the party seeks to overturn Governor Muhammad Yahaya’s (APC) election.
On Thursday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, chaired by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, heard the appeal (SC/CV/1226/2023).
For Delta, the court plans to deliver judgments on three appeals filed by the candidate of the APC, Ovie Omo-Agege; candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kenneth Gbagi and Labour Party’s Kennedy Pela.
Concerning Nasarawa, the apex court will deliver judgments on four appeals filed by the candidate of the PDP, Emmanuel David Ombugadu.
For Kebbi, the court will rule on three appeals filed by the PDP’s candidate in the 2015 governorship election, Aminu Bande; the incumbent governor, Nasir Idris of the APC; and the Deputy Governor, Abubakar Umar Argungu.
The court on Thursday heard the appeal by the candidate of the PDP in Kaduna State, Mohammed Isa, seeking to void the election of Governor Uba Sani of the APC and reserved judgment till a date to be communicated to parties.
Arguing the appeal, marked: SC/CV/1240/2023, the appellants’ lawyer, Kenneth Mozia (SAN) urged the court to allow the appeal, dismiss the preliminary objections filed by some of the respondents, and grant the reliefs sought.
Lawyers to INEC, Sani, and the APC – Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN), Bayo Ojo (SAN), and Mohammed Katu (SAN) – urged the court to dismiss the appeal.
Mozia informed the court that the appeal would lapse on January 22, after which the court delayed judgement until a date to be disclosed to the parties.
The court dismissed the appeal submitted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Nafiu Bala, marked SC/CV/1227/2023, after his counsel, Herbert Nwoye, withdrew it after being advised that it was a waste of court time.