Party stakeholders and supporters are experiencing noticeable unease as they anticipate the Supreme Court’s impending judgment scheduled for delivery in January.
This judgment pertains to various petitions challenging the decisions of the Court of Appeal regarding the governorship elections.
Following the March 18, 2023, governorship elections in multiple states, discontented candidates and their respective parties sought legal recourse, disputing the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of their opponents as victors.
Originating in state tribunals and appeal courts, several governorship election cases have reached their culmination at the Supreme Court. States such as Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Nasarawa, Benue, and Bauchi are among those awaiting the final verdict.
In Kano State, tension is escalating as residents anxiously await the apex court’s judgment on the governorship election dispute. Supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the All Progressives Congress, the two contending parties in the state, are staging protests and rallies both in favor and against the Appeal Court’s ruling.
The Appeal Court upheld the tribunal’s decision, which removed Governor Abba Yusuf and declared the APC candidate, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna, as the legitimate winner.
NNPP supporters are critical of the Appeal Court’s ruling, particularly the controversy surrounding the claim of two contradictory judgments—one against and the other in favor of the incumbent governor.
Conversely, APC supporters continue to celebrate the two judgments favoring their candidate.
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The heightened anxiety prompted the Kano State Police Commissioner, Gumel, to prohibit all protests and rallies, leading the leadership of both parties to sign a peace accord. However, this has not been entirely successful, as incidents of violence have persisted.
In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Alhaji Alhassan Yaryasa, a prominent figure in the APC in the state, attributed the tension in Kano to the actions of NNPP supporters.
“You see all that the NNPP supporters are doing is just to get public sympathy because they didn’t win the governorship election at the beginning,” he said.
Attempts to communicate with the NNPP Chairman in the state, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to numerous phone calls from one of our correspondents.
In Benue State, there is a sense of anticipation and nervousness among residents as they await the Supreme Court’s decision on the appeal by the PDP’s governorship candidate, Titus Uba.
Uba is challenging the judgments of the tribunal and the Appeal Court, which upheld the victory of Hyacinth Alia of the APC in the governorship election.
Saturday PUNCH interviewed some residents who expressed anxiety about the potential outcome of the final judgment. One resident, identified as Julius for security reasons, mentioned that civil servants and retirees in the state were currently praying for the governor to prevail at the apex court.
Despite the concerns, both the publicity secretaries of the ruling APC and the opposition PDP, Daniel Ihomun and Bemgba Iortyom respectively, conveyed confidence in winning the ultimate judgment. The APC believes that the governor convincingly won the election, while the PDP remains hopeful of receiving justice at the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, in Ogun State, the PDP has reiterated its optimism of overturning Governor Dapo Abiodun’s victory at the apex court. The party’s Secretary, Dr Sunday Solarin, claimed that the mandate given to the party’s governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, was allegedly stolen by the APC. Solarin expressed hope that the mandate would be rightfully restored.
In response, the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, urged Adebutu to address the allegations of vote-buying and money laundering against him instead of spreading what he called “boastful desperation” and false hope.
In Lagos, the Head of Media and Communications for Jandor4Governor Campaign Organisation, Gbenga Ogunleye, told Saturday PUNCH that the Lagos State chapter of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Dr Olajide Adediran, would emerge victorious at the Supreme Court.
Ogunleye explained that their petition at the apex court focuses on challenging the qualification of the declared winner, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC, as stipulated in the electoral law.
He expressed confidence that the Supreme Court justices would carefully consider the facts before delivering justice.
When contacted for a reaction, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Cornelius Ojelabi, declined to comment on the matter.
He said, ““The judgment will soon be delivered and it doesn’t make sense for us to start making commentary on that.
“We’ve been to the tribunal and Appeal Courts and we won. They went for the first and second and they failed. It is a matter of days for the Supreme Court to pronounce the judgment and that will be the end of the story.”
In Nasarawa State, the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal initially nullified Governor Abdullahi Sule’s election from the APC, declaring David Ombugadu of the PDP as the winner in a split judgment of two to one.
Subsequently, the Appeal Court unanimously overturned the tribunal’s decision and affirmed Governor Sule’s victory. The case has now been escalated to the Supreme Court for further consideration.
The APC State Chairman, Aliyu Bello, expressed confidence in the party’s success at the supreme court, citing supporting documents for their election victory.
He urged PDP members to avoid making inflammatory statements that could escalate tension in the state.
On the other hand, Francis Orogu, the PDP Chairman, emphasized the party’s confidence in obtaining justice through available documents and evidence. Meanwhile, the acting Chairman of the APC in Bauchi State, Muhammad Hassan-Tilde, shared the party’s optimism for victory, highlighting the grounds of the petitions challenging previous judgments.
Hassan-Tilde urged supporters to stay hopeful and prayerful, expressing a strong belief in their candidate, Sadique Abubakar, emerging victorious at the supreme court.
(PUNCH)