•Supreme Court
Five governors will today know if they will remain in office or exit as their states’ chief executives.
The governors, whose fates are to be determined by the Supreme Court, are Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Nasir Idris (Kebbi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).
The Supreme Court’s schedule sighted yesterday by our correspondent, showed that judgments on two appeals relating to the governorship poll in Ogun State will be delivered, reports The Nation.
One of the appeals, marked SC/CV/1221/2023, is by Oladipupo Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and another marked SC/CV/1223/2023 filed by Governor Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adebutu and the PDP are seeking Abiodun’s sack as governor.
The apex court, according to the schedule, will deliver judgments on three appeals against the election of Oborevwori of the PDP by the candidate of the APC, Ovie Omo-Agege; candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kenneth Gbagi and Labour Party’s Kennedy Pela.
For Gombe, the court is to rule on the appeal by Jibrin Barde and his party, the PDP. They both want the election of Governor Yahaya of the APC to be voided.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, heard the appeal marked: SC/CV/1226/2023 yesterday.
The court will also deliver judgments on four appeals filed by the candidate of the PDP, Emmanuel David Ombugadu, against Governor Sule of Nasarawa State.
For Kebbi, the court is to give its verdict on three appeals by the candidate of the PDP, Aminu Bande; Governor Idris of the APC and Deputy Governor Abubakar Argungu.
The court, yesterday 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. It reserved judgment till a date to be communicated to parties.
Arguing the appeal by Isa and the PDP, marked: SC/CV/1240/2023, their 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 the respondents – for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,
Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN); Sani, Bayo Ojo (SAN) and the APC, Mohammed Katu (SAN) – urged the court to dismiss the appeal.
Mozia told the court that the appeal would lapse on January 22, following which the court reserved judgment till a date to be communicated to the parties.
Also, the court dismissed the appeal, marked: SC/CV/1227/2023 filed by the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nafiu Bala. That was after his lawyer, Herbert Nwoye, withdrew it on being told that the appeal was a waste of the court’s time.
A week ago, some governors, including those earlier sacked by the Court of Appeal, were cleared by the Supreme Court.
The governors are Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, elected on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State, elected on the platform of the PDP.
Others are Alex Otti of Abia State, elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP); Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, elected on the platform of the APC; Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, elected on the platform of the PDP and Bassey Otu of Cross River State, elected on the platform of the APC.
