THE Supreme Court has upheld Francis Nwaifuru’s election as Governor of Ebonyi state.
The court affirmed the governor’s victory in the March 18 governorship election on Friday, January 12, through a unanimous decision.
In the judgement by a five-member panel of justices and read by Tijjani Abubakar, the court said the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ifeanyi Odili, did not substantiate claims that Nwifuru did not comply with the Electoral Act during the election.
“The end result in this appeal, therefore, is that the appellant failed to provide any evidence to establish the allegation of non-compliance with the Electoral Act. The appellant’s appeal is bound to fall like a pack of cards.
“This appeal is unmeritorious. It is, therefore, dismissed. The judgement of the Court of Appeal is affirmed,” he stated.
In November, the Court of Appeal in Lagos upheld Nwifuru’s election as Governor.
In a unanimous judgment, the three-member panel of justices led by Jummai Hannatu Sankey dismissed Odili’s appeal for lack of merit.
Sankey ruled that the PDP and its candidate had no legal authority to interfere with internal issues in the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding candidate nominations.
On Monday, January 8, the Supreme Court reserved judgment on the appeal.
The lead judge, John Okoro, reserved the verdict after adopting the parties’ argument briefs.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.