Full List: Governors Supreme Court Will Decide Their Fates This Week
The Supreme Court was expected to decide the fates of 21 governors being challenged over their victory in the March 18 governorship elections.
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According to The Nation, most cases are scheduled to be heard this week. The governors cut across the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party.
Source: Twitter
In its schedule for the week, the cases on Ebonyi, Plateau, Delta, Adamawa, Abia, Ogun, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states will be heard between today, Monday, January 8 and Thursday, January 11.
It was learned that the Apex court may deliver judgments in the post-election governorship appeals on Kano, Lagos, and others on Friday, January 12.
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The prominent to watch out for among the cases are listed below:
Kano state
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was first sacked by the tribunal sitting in the state on September 20, 2023, after the trial court declared 165,663 of his votes invalid. The court subsequently announced Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the APC as the authentic winner of the poll.
Governor Yusuf then appealed his sacking at the Court of Appeal, but the lower court again sacked him on the ground that he was not a member of the NNPP as of the time he contested on the party's platform.
The embattled NNPP governor had filed an appeal before the Supreme Court, and his fate would be determined soon after the apex court had reserved its judgment.
Plateau state
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP was one of the governors whose fate could be determined by the Supreme Court this week.
Mutfwang, who earlier secured victory at the tribunal, was sacked by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, saying the case of the APC was valid because the qualification issue was a pre and post-election matter under Section 177(c) of the Nigerian Constitution and Sections 80 and 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Mutfwang was not satisfied with the judgment and approached the Supreme Court on eight grounds of appeal, stating why the Apex Court should validate his election.
In his argument, the issue of nomination and sponsorship, which formed the background of the APC argument, was not only a pre-election matter but within the internal affairs of the PDP. Therefore, the APC and Goshwe lacked the locus standi to file against it.
Nasarawa state
Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa won the March 18 governorship election in the north-central state. Still, David Ombugadu of the PDP challenged the outcome of the poll because he won the majority of votes in the election.
In October 2023, the trial court sacked Governor Sule and declared Ombugadu of the PDP the poll winner. The tribunal said the votes were manipulated in favour of Governor Yusuf.
However, the embattled governor was lucky at the Court of Appeal as the court reversed his sacking on Thursday, November 23.
The PDP and Ombugadu have headed to the Supreme Court for redress, and the outcome of the judgment was one many are waiting to hear.
Zamfara state
Dauda Lawal of the PDP defeated the incumbent governor of the APC, Bello Matawalle, in the March 18 governorship election in the state. However, Matawalle, now a minister under President Bol Tinubu, approached the tribunal to challenge Lawal's victory.
The trial court ruled in favour of Lawal, but Matawalle and the APC approached the Court of Appeal, where Lawal was sacked. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was ordered to conduct a fresh election in Maradun Local Government in four Birnin Magaji Local Government wards and some Bukkuyum Local Government polling units.
However, the PDP and Governor Lawal appealed the judgment, hoping the apex court would favour them in 2024.
Lagos: Supreme Court reserves judgments in Rhodes-Vivour, Adenira vs Sanwo-Olu
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Supreme Court had reserved its judgment on the appeal filed by PDP's Abdulazeez Adeniran and Labour Party's Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.
Adeniran and Rhodes-Vivour's appeals are seeking to sack Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC as the governor of Lagos state.
The apex court informs the counsels of the party after they have submitted their brief to the court on Tuesday.
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Source: Legit.ng
