BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Gov Mbah’s Victory
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the election of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, affirming his status as duly elected.
Justice Mohammed Garba, in the lead judgment, dismissed allegations that Governor Mbah lacked the National Youth Service Corps certificate, a crucial document submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Supreme Court comprehensively addressed all issues raised in the appeal filed against Mbah’s victory by Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party. Edeoga had contested the Court of Appeal’s decision, which affirmed Mbah’s election.
The Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision in the Lagos Division, led by Justice Tani Hassan, ruled against Edeoga on all three points of his appeal. The panel concluded that the appellant failed to substantiate Mbah’s ineligibility for the gubernatorial race.
Regarding the allegation of overvoting, Justice Hassan, in her lead judgment, highlighted that the voters’ register was never presented before the lower tribunal, rendering the appeal inadmissible. The court also found that the appellant’s witness testimonies did not offer evidence of overvoting in the governorship election.
Consequently, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal as lacking merit, affirming the election tribunal’s decision that upheld Mbah’s victory as the PDP candidate in the March 18 election. Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier declared Mbah the winner of the mentioned election.
