Today, the Supreme Court is poised to determine the outcome of governorship elections held on March 18, 2023, with challenges to the victories of nine governors in states such as Delta, Rivers, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Taraba, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna, and Ogun.
A reliable source within the Supreme Court revealed that judgments in some of these cases were expedited to be delivered this Friday, as the court cleared the entire next week for its justices to take a much-needed rest. Justice Inyang Okoro will preside over one panel, while Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun will lead another.
Despite all cases being heard by a five-member panel, last Friday's marathon judgments involved eight justices. Notably, the panel, led by Justice Kekere-Ekun, announced plans to deliver judgment on an appeal seeking to nullify the election of Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mohammed Barde, are urging the apex court to overturn the decisions of both the Court of Appeal and the Gombe State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. These bodies had dismissed their case challenging Governor Yahaya's victory on the APC platform. Meanwhile, the court dismissed another appeal against Governor Yahaya’s election filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Nafiu Bala.
In a similar vein, the court reserved judgment on the Kaduna state governorship election dispute, where the PDP and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru, seek to unseat Governor Uba Sani of the APC. The PDP alleges irregularities, claiming the election was tainted by corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022. INEC had declared Governor Sani the winner with 730,001 votes over Ashiru's 719,196 votes, prompting the PDP to challenge the outcome at the tribunal."
