The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the elections of Siminalayi Fubara, Agbu Kefas and Ahmad Aliyu as governors of Rivers, Taraba and Sokoto states.
In three judgments, a five-member panel held that the appellants failed to prove their cases.
The first judgment was on the appeal by Tonye Cole, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers.
He prayed to void Fubara’s victory because the election was marred by corrupt practices.
Cole contended that the poll was not conducted in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
He also claimed that Fubara did not validly resign his from previous position before the election was held.
Cole alleged that Fubara continued to sign documents as the Accountant-General even after he was nominated as the PDP candidate.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who read the lead judgment, resolved all four issues identified for determination against the appellant.
He held that the appeal was devoid of merit.
The Justice dismissed it and affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld Fubara’s election.
The second judgment was on the appeal by Muhammad Sani Yahaya of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who sought the nullification of Kefas’ election.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, who read the lead judgment, found that the appeal lacked merit.
According to him, the Court of Appeal was right to have dismissed the appeal on grounds of incomplete record of appeal.
He noted that the part of the record of appeal that was omitted was essential for the determination of the case.
The Justice said the omitted part of the record contained the testimonies of polling unit agents called by the appellants at the trial tribunal in support of their claims relating to invalid votes.
Justice Garba held that there was no way the Court of Appeal could have determined issues raised without the missing records.
He adjudged the appeal unmeritorious, dismissed it and affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld Kefas’ election.
The third judgment was on the appeal by Sa’idu Umar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Sokoto poll.
Umar and his party had sought to void Aliyu’s election, claiming he and the APC were wrongly declared winners because they did not secure a majority of valid votes cast.
They alleged other malpractices, including that Aliyu submitted forged academic credentials, that he was not qualified and that he did not accompany his Form EC9 with an affidavit as required by law.
In the lead judgment, Justice Tijjani Abubakar resolved all the issues distilled for determination against the appellants.
The Justice held that the appellants failed to prove their claims and dismissed the appeal.
He affirmed the November 27, 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld Aliyu’s election.
Fubara to opposition: join in building Rivers
Fubara expressed gratitude to God, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for his triumph at the Supreme Court.
The governor declared his resolve to remain committed to the purpose for which he was elected, saying nothing would distract his governance.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Boniface Onyedi, he said: “The Supreme Court revalidation of our mandate is a victory for the entire state.”
“It is important for us to note that we need this victory to consolidate the purpose of governance. We have had a few distractions here and there.
“The good news is a refreshing strength that will encourage us to continue the good works in governance.
“We have a dream of making it a highly competitive state that will measure, if not up to Lagos but close to becoming like Lagos. We can only achieve this in an atmosphere of peace.”
Rivers PDP chapter congratulated Fubara, saying the victory was a reflection of the massive support the governor enjoyed from the people at the poll.
The party, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Tambari Sydney Gbara, said: “It is also our conviction that with this judgment and victory, Rivers people will continue to enjoy the dividends of good governance.”
Also, the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) congratulated Fubara.
In a statement jointly by its Chairman, Stanley Job Stanley and the Secretary, Ike Wigodo, the NUJ described the verdict as confirmation of the people’s trust and mandate freely given to the governor.
“We urge the people of Rivers State, especially the political class, to put all that happened during and after the elections in the state behind them and support the Siminilayi Fubara-led government to succeed and make Rivers a better place for all,” the union said.
