The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict today on the Governorship Election Appeals in Rivers, Taraba, and Sokoto States.
In the Rivers State election dispute, the apex court had recently reserved judgment in the appeal brought by Patrick Tonye-Cole, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the victory of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara in the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
The APC candidate’s appeal stems from the November 28 decision of the Appeal Court, which dismissed his case due to insufficient and unconvincing evidence. Tonye-Cole alleges irregularities, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, and Fubara’s continued signing of documents as the Rivers State’s Accountant-General after his nomination as the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Earlier this year, the apex court also reserved judgment on appeals arising from the governorship elections in Sokoto and Taraba states. In the Sokoto case, Sai’du Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aims to annul the election of Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Sokoto State Governor. Meanwhile, in the Taraba case, Sani Yahaya of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) seeks the removal of Governor Kefas Agbu of the PDP.
The appellants, PDP and Umar, are seeking the court to overturn the decisions of the tribunal and appellate court, which dismissed their petitions last year.
In Taraba, the Court of Appeal, through a unanimous judgment by its three-member panel led by Justice Peter Affen, ruled that the NNPP and its governorship candidate, Prof. Yahaya Sani, lacked consistency in their petition against the March 18 governorship election. Justice Affen noted that while NNPP and Sani sought nullification of the election based on non-compliance with the Electoral Act, they simultaneously requested the court to declare them as winners due to securing the majority of lawful votes. The court, therefore, dismissed the case.
