Mbah is the authentic winner of governorship election – Supreme Court

 

Admin I Friday, Dec. 22, 2023

 

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Supreme Court today upheld the victory of Governor Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Enugu State governorship election held on March 18, 2023.

The unanimous decision by a five-member panel of justices dismissed the appeal filed by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, challenging the outcome of the election.

The apex court affirmed the judgments of both the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which had previously rejected all claims made by the LP and Edeoga against Governor Mbah’s victory.

Despite the LP and Edeoga’s allegations, the Supreme Court found no substantial grounds to overturn the decisions of the lower courts. The Court highlighted that the appellants failed to substantiate their claims, including the allegation of Governor Mbah’s ineligibility to contest the gubernatorial election.

Addressing assertions of widespread over-voting in Mbah’s strongholds, the Court emphasized the lack of crucial evidence such as the voters’ register used during the election to support these claims. Consequently, the Court concluded that the LP and its candidate did not present sufficient grounds to warrant overturning the earlier rulings of the Election Petitions Tribunal.

After careful consideration, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal for lacking merit, thereby solidifying Governor Mbah’s legitimacy as the rightful winner of the governorship election.

Despite Edeoga’s dissatisfaction with the appellate court’s ruling, the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday further cemented the validity of Governor Mbah’s electoral victory.