The Supreme Court is set to decide the fate of six sitting governors on Friday. The governors are those of Kano, Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Ebonyi, Bauchi and states.
The apex court justices will begin the marathon sitting by 9am, it was learned. Security agencies are on high alert in some of the flashpoint states.
ZAMFARA
In Zamfara, the apex court will deliver judgment in an appeal lodged by PDP’s Governor Dauda Lawal against Muhammad Bello Matawalle of the APC.
Earlier, the Appeal Court had nullified the election of Zamfara State Governor Lawal and ordered rerun in some polling units in three local governments.
Mr Lawal defeated the then incumbent Matawalle in the March 18 polls, and went ahead to defeat him at the tribunal on September 18.
However, a three-man panel led by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi nullified Mr Lawal’s victory and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas of the state, where elections had not been held previously due to banditry.
KANO
In Kano, the apex court will deliver judgement in the appeal filed by Governor Abba Yusuf of NNPP against APC’s Nasiru Gawuna, who was declared winner by the Court of Appeal and the State Election Petitions Tribunal.
The Supreme Court five-man panel led by Justice John Okoro had reserved the judgement after the parties adopted their brief of arguments.
In September, the tribunal removed Yusuf from office and declared Gawuna as governor.
On November 13, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the tribunal, declaring that Yusuf was not qualified to contest the March 18 governorship election.
PLATEAU
In Plateau, the Supreme Court will deliver verdict in the appeal filed by the Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who is seeking to overturn the verdict of the Court of Appeal which nullified his election.
The appellate court had declared APC’s Nentawe Goshwe as winner of the March 18 poll.
Mr Mutfwang is seeking the apex court to uphold the judgement of the tribunal and set aside the judgment of the appellate court because the respondents have no right to question how a party elects its state executives.
EBONYI
In Ebonyi, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday reserved judgement in the Ebonyi State governorship election appeal.
Earlier in November, the Court of Appeal in Lagos had affirmed the election of APC’s Francis Nwifuru as the duly elected governor of Ebonyi.
The three-member panel presided over by Justice Jummai Sankey, in its unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal filed by PDP’s Chukwuma Odii and upheld the earlier verdict of the tribunal but the PDP candidate approached the apex court to seek redress.
BAUCHI
In Bauchi, the apex court will decide the fate of PDP’s Governor Bala Mohammed and his main challenger Sadique Abubakar of the APC.
Mr Mohammed defeated Mr Abubakar in the March 18 governorship election. The governor won at the tribunal and the appeal court.
Mr Sadique went to the apex court to seek nullification of Mr Mohammed’s victory.
LAGOS
In Lagos, the Appeal Court in Lagos in November upheld the judgment of the tribunal, affirming APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu as Lagos governor.
The justices of the court of appeal in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) for lack of merit.
Sanwo-Olu polled 762,134 votes to defeat his close challenger, LP’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), who scored 312,329 votes. PDP’s Abdulazeez Adediran popular as Jandor came a distant third with 62,449 votes.
The LP and PDP candidates went to the Lagos State Election Petitions Tribunal and lost.
The opposition candidates are now in Supreme Court seeking nullification of Sanwo-Olu’s victory.