Naijahood
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the election victory of Governor Bala Mohammed in Bauchi State, dismissing an appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Sadique Abubakar. The court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, unanimously stated that there was no reason to overturn the lower courts’ judgments.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, delivering the lead judgment, rejected the APC’s challenge to the March 18, 2023, governorship election outcome. Abubakar argued that the election did not comply with the Electoral Act 2022, citing improperly filled electoral documents. However, both the Bauchi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Jos upheld Governor Mohammed’s victory.
Unsatisfied, the APC candidate appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming that the tribunal did not adequately evaluate his case concerning the submitted exhibits. The Supreme Court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, dismissed the appeal on Friday, finding it lacking in merit and affirming the judgments of the lower courts.
In a similar vein, the Supreme Court affirmed the election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. Justice Inyang Okoro, leading a five-member panel, dismissed two appeals challenging Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the March 18 governorship election.
The appeals were brought by candidates of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abdulazeez Adediran (Jandor). The LP and Rhodes-Vivour questioned Sanwo-Olu’s eligibility, alleging that his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, held dual citizenship with the United States. They argued that this made the deputy governor constitutionally ineligible, thus invalidating Sanwo-Olu’s candidacy.
However, both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, and the APC urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeals, emphasizing that the lower courts had already unanimously rejected the allegations and petitions against the election’s outcome.
Comments
Loading…