BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Reprieve has come for the Governors of Delta, Kaduna, and Kebbi States as the Court of Appeal on Friday upheld their victories at the March 18 gubernatorial elections as ruled by the elections Tribunal in the three states
In the case of Delta State, the Appeal Court, in upholding the election of Sheriff Oborevwori of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship poll, ruled that the petition contained unsubstantiated allegations devoid of merit and merely speculative.
Consequently, the three-member tribunal headed by Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu dismissed the petition filed by former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
For Kaduna State, the Appellate Court, while affirming the election of Governor Sani Uba, held that the lower Tribunal acted in error in arriving at its judgment.
According to the three-member panel of the Court, it was erroneous for the Tribunal to depend on inadmissible evidence in ordering that supplementary polls be conducted in 22 polling units of four Local Government Areas (LGAs) where the exercise was deemed inconclusive.
On the Kebbi State proceedings, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the March 18 election of Nasir Idris as the lawfully elected governor of Kebbi State with the three-member panel ruling that the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, General Aminu Bande lacked merit.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Ndukwe Anyannwu, the Appellate Court resolved all the five issues formulated for determination in favour of Governor Idris and against PDP, noting that the allegations of forgery of testimonial brought against the Deputy Governor Abubakar Umar Tafida were not established as required by law.
Further upholding the victory of Idris as the lawfully elected Governor of Kebbi State, the Court also said the issues of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 in the conduct of the election could not stand because the appellants failed to prove how the allegations substantially affected the election.
Justice Anyanwu therefore affirmed the Kebbi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal’s judgment which dismissed the petition of PDP and endorsed the governor’s victory.
