Appeal Court upholds Abiodun, Oborevwori, Nwifuru, Sani’s election as governors

Sacks Bauchi Speaker
The Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, yesterday, affirmed the election of Dapo Abiodun as Ogun State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori as Delta State Governor and Francis Nwifuru as the duly elected Ebonyi State Governor. Also, the Court of Appeal in Abuja declared Uba Sani as the lawful winner of the March 18 Governorship election in Kaduna State.

For Abiodun, in a majority judgment delivered by the duo of Justices J.S. Ikyegh and Muhammed Mustapha, the appellate court dismissed the appeal brought before it by the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu.

The court held that the appeal by Adebutu lacked merit, as it found no substance in it and subsequently dismissed it, affirming the earlier decision of the Tribunal without costs.

Oborevwori, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, was declared winner of the Delta State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after securing 360,234 votes to defeat Ovie Omo- Agege of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 240,229 votes to come second.

The Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, had earlier on September 29 confirmed the election of Oborevwori as the duly elected governor of the state.

It would be recalled that the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, on Monday, November 13, reserved judgment in three separate appeals filed by Omo-Agege, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Kenneth Gbagi, and Labour Party’s (LP) Kennedy Pela, challenging Oborevwori’s declaration as the governor of the state.

In its judgment, the appellate court upheld Oborevwori’s victory. In its reaction, the state PDP congratulated the governor on his victory.

For Nwifuru, the three-member panel presided over by Justice Jummai Sankey, in its unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii of the PDP. The panel also resolved all the five issues raised against the appellant, dismissing the appeal for lacking in merit.

Justice Sankey, in her lead judgment, held that the PDP and its candidate lacked the legal right to meddle in the internal affairs of the APC.

In the Kaduna State Governorship Election, Justice Obietonbara Owupele Daniel-Kalio, who read judgments of the Court of Appeal on the main and cross appeal, also reversed the order of the tribunal on the INEC to conduct supplementary elections in 22 polling units in four local councils.

In the main appeal, Justice Daniel-Kalio resolved all the five formulated issues by the PDP and its candidate in the 2023 election, Mohammed Isah Ashiru.

In the cross appeal filed by the APC, which challenged the declaration of the election inconclusive, the Court of Appeal resolved the three formulated issues in favour of the party and vacated the declaration of the tribunal.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal has overturned the judgment of the election tribunal that affirmed the election of the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, representing Ningi Central Constituency.

While delivering judgment in Abuja, yesterday, it ordered rerun in 10 polling units of the constituency.

Reacting to the judgment, Abubakar urged his supporters and all the people of the constituency to remain calm.