With the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) through with its assignment last Wednesday, attention has now shifted to the Governorship Election Petition Tribunals in the states where incumbent governors are eagerly waiting to know their fate.
Section 285 (6) of the 1999 Constitution stipulates that “an election tribunal shall deliver judgment in writing within 180 days from the date of filing of the petition.”
Politics observers believe that the governorship election petition cases in Ogun, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Nasarawa and Ebonyi are of particular interest.
Other states where judgments are being awaited on the governorship polls include Delta, Gombe, Sokoto and Akwa Ibom.
The Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal last month reserved judgment on the petition challenging the election of Governor Peter Mbah.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate in the election, Chijioke Edeoga, wants the election nullified while he should be declared winner.
The Chairperson of the panel, Justice Kudirat Akano, said the date for the final judgment on the petition would be communicated to the parties.
The major issue at stake is the allegation by Edeoga that Mbah did not complete his National Service and that the discharge certificate tendered by him did not emanate from the National Youth Service Corps.
Abiodun, Adebutu upbeat about chances in Ogun
The camps of Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his challenger, Peoples Democratic Party’s Ladi Adebutu, are optimistic that they will carry the day when the tribunal delivers its judgment.
The tribunal reserved ruling on the petition last Monday after a three-month long sitting.
Adebutu had alleged that the election was riddled with violence, irregularities and rigging.
He alleged non-compliance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and with the Electoral Act, and corrupt practices by the governor and the APC during the election.
He claimed that the process was sabotaged by thugs who allegedly deployed violence in over 99 polling units to disenfranchise over 40,000 voters.
Abiodun contested all the claims and asked the tribunal to dismiss the case as the petitioners failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Abiodun’s lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), in his final address, described Adebutu’s petition as a mere academic exercise.
Olanipekun submitted that the soul of the petition was not duly signed or stamped and, therefore, lacked merit to be adopted.
“The document is not signed, not dated, no heading, no title, no identity, no signature, no stamp. The CTC has no signature,” Olanipekun said.
However, in his counter-argument, Counsel to Adebutu, Chris Uche, SAN, told the tribunal that all documents presented by the petitioners were obtained from INEC.
He urged the tribunal to declare Adebutu the winner of the governorship election or, in the alternative, order a rerun of the election in 99 polling units where he alleged that there were disruptions.
Kano tribunal: We’ll be fair to all
Chairman of the Kano State tribunal, Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, assured the parties in the petition before him that justice would be duly done.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had to relocate from Abakaliki to Abuja for its sitting, said a date for judgment would be communicated to the parties in the cases.
Mr. Nwifuru is of the APC.
The petitioners premised their cases on alleged non-qualification of the governors for the election because, according to them, he was a member of the PDP at the time he contested the election.
But Mr Nwifuru’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, prayed the court to dismiss the suits for being unmeritorious.
Mr Ikpeazu argued that Mr Nwifuru, while serving as Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, resigned his membership of the PDP and joined the APC before vying for the governorship primary election of the latter.
He also presented APC’s membership register containing Mr Nwifuru’s details for Enwanweigwe Ward, the governor’s country home.
Uba Sani, Ashiru await verdict in Kaduna
It was only last Monday that the Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal reserved judgment on the petition brought before it by the PDP and its governorships candidate, Isa Mohammed Ashiru, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Uba Sani and APC.
Ashiru and the PDP alleged irregularities and electoral fraud in the election.
At the last sitting of the court, all the parties presented their final written addresses before the Tribunal, with APC’s Uba Sani saying that the petitioners unwittingly helped in proving he won the March 18 governorship election in the course of challenging his victory.
Uba Sani’s legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, argued that the petitioners had helped in proving he won the poll fair and square, pointing in particular to the admission of a star witness for the petitioner, Bonett Gwazah, a senior system analyst (SSA) in the VR/ICT Department of INEC in Kaduna State.
In their own final address, the PDP argued that two conflicting election results emerged from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship election in the state.
Ashiru through his lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, accused INEC of manipulating the result of the election in favour of Sani.
APC, PDP in anxious wait in Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, the victory of the APC candidate, Governor Abdullahi Sule, is being challenged by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), David Ombugadu at the Governorship Election Tribunal in Lafia, the state capital.
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had to relocate from Abakaliki to Abuja for its sitting, said a date for judgment would be communicated to the parties in the cases.
Mr. Nwifuru is of the APC.
The petitioners premised their cases on alleged non-qualification of the governors for the election because, according to them, he was a member of the PDP at the time he contested the election.
But Mr Nwifuru’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, prayed the court to dismiss the suits for being unmeritorious.
Mr Ikpeazu argued that Mr Nwifuru, while serving as Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, resigned his membership of the PDP and joined the APC before vying for the governorship primary election of the latter.
He also presented APC’s membership register containing Mr Nwifuru’s details for Enwanweigwe Ward, the governor’s country home.
Uba Sani, Ashiru await verdict in Kaduna
It was only last Monday that the Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal reserved judgment on the petition brought before it by the PDP and its governorships candidate, Isa Mohammed Ashiru, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Uba Sani and APC.
Ashiru and the PDP alleged irregularities and electoral fraud in the election.
At the last sitting of the court, all the parties presented their final written addresses before the Tribunal, with APC’s Uba Sani saying that the petitioners unwittingly helped in proving he won the March 18 governorship election in the course of challenging his victory.
Uba Sani’s legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, argued that the petitioners had helped in proving he won the poll fair and square, pointing in particular to the admission of a star witness for the petitioner, Bonett Gwazah, a senior system analyst (SSA) in the VR/ICT Department of INEC in Kaduna State.
In their own final address, the PDP argued that two conflicting election results emerged from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship election in the state.
Ashiru through his lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, accused INEC of manipulating the result of the election in favour of Sani.
APC, PDP in anxious wait in Nasarawa
In Nasarawa State, the victory of the APC candidate, Governor Abdullahi Sule, is being challenged by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), David Ombugadu at the Governorship Election Tribunal in Lafia, the state capital.
The PDP insisted at the tribunal that it won the closely run election but that the APC connived with INEC to manipulate the election.
Speaking shortly after his legal team submitted the petition in Lafia,Ombugadu expressed optimism that he would reclaim his mandate through the court.
APC, on the other hand, dismissed the claim by the PDP, insisting that it won the election fair and square.
Credit: The Nation
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