2023 Elections: Supreme Court To Determine Fate Of Nine Governors Today

The Supreme Court of Nigeria is poised to deliver judgments today on the electoral disputes concerning the governorship elections held on March 18, 2023, in nine states.

The states awaiting the apex court’s verdict are Delta, Rivers, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Taraba, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna, and Ogun.

A senior official at the Supreme Court, who requested anonymity, informed Vanguard that the judgment dates for some cases were advanced to today due to a scheduled break next week for the court’s justices.

The panels for the judgments are led by Justices Inyang Okoro and Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, respectively.

One significant case includes the appeal against Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, led by the PDP and its candidate, Mohammed Barde.

They are seeking the reversal of the decisions by the Court of Appeal and the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld Governor Yahaya’s election victory.

The court has also heard appeals against Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, brought forth by the PDP and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that governor Sani garnered a total of 730, 001 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Ashiru, who polled 719, 196 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the result of the election, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal to challenge it.
The petitioners alleged that governor Uba was not duly elected by majority of valid votes cast in the election, adding that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.