On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the election of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. Justice Mohammed Garba, delivering the main judgment, dismissed the claim that Mbah lacked a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, considering it a mere allegation. The court addressed and resolved all the issues raised in the appeal against the appellant.
Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party, the appellant, had taken the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mbah to court, contesting the Court of Appeal’s decision that dismissed his case against the governor’s election.
The Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in a unanimous decision, addressed and resolved all three issues presented by the appellant, Edeoga. The three-member panel, headed by Justice Tani Hassan, stated that the appellant failed to substantiate the claim that the respondent was unqualified to participate in the governorship election.
Regarding the accusation of overvoting, Justice Hassan, in her lead judgment, pointed out that the voters’ register was not submitted to the lower tribunal. She emphasized that the failure to present the voters’ register before the lower tribunal rendered the appeal inadmissible.