Guber tussles: Supreme court to past final judgment on Delta, Ogun, Gombe, 10 others on Friday

In compliance with the provisions of the Constitution on time bound nature of political cases, the Supreme Court will on Friday, January 19, 2024, deliver final judgements in 13 gubernatorial election legal battles.

Hearing and final judgments in the cases are by law to be considered and concluded within 60 days after which the matters would become statute barred.

The states whose governorship election legal battles will be decided by the Supreme Court on Friday include Nasarawa, Delta, Ogun, Gombe and Kebbi, among others.

Governors of the states will know their fate – whether they will remain in office or not – at the end of the make or mar verdicts that would be handed down on Friday morning.

Political parties that filed cases along with their governorship candidates are the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Labour Party, LP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP.

According to Daily Post, in Delta State, Gbagi Kenneth Omemavwa of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Omo-Agege Ovie Augustine of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Pella Kwahariebie Kennedy of the Labour Party, LP, are challenging the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

The cause list sighted by our correspondent also showed that Emmanuel David Ombugadu of the PDP is challenging the declaration of Sule Audu Abdullahi of the APC as the elected Governor of Nasarawa State.

In Ogun State, Adebutu Oladipupo Olatunde of the PDP is praying the apex court to upturn the victory of Abiodun Adedapo Oluseun of the APC as the lawfully elected governor of the state.

For Gombe State, Jibrin Muhammed Barde of the PDP is the appellant seeking to get the election of Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya invalidated.

Similarly, Bande Aminu of the PDP is asking the apex court to set aside the declaration of Idris Nasir of the APC and his Deputy, Abubakar Umar Argungu, as winners of the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

Deputy Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court, Malam Alfa Ahmed, confirmed that 13 judgments on disputes over governorship elections would be delivered on Friday.

He said that the apex court has put adequate security arrangements in place to make the judgment delivery hitch-free.

Ahmed confirmed further that counsel who represented different governors during the hearing of the cases are to come to court with only two lawyers from each chamber.

He hinted that only accredited political party leaders would be permitted into the court premises to ensure crowd control and prevent security breaches.

According to him, Department of State Service, DSS, operatives would be responsible for screening those that would access the courtroom.

He further disclosed that journalists accredited by the Supreme Court would be allowed into the courtroom and foyer of the court, depending on the number of seats allocated to them