Supreme Court stands down to deliver judgment in Plateau, Bauchi governorship appeals

TRACKING>The Supreme Court, on Monday, heard all appeals challenging the outcomes of governorship elections held in Plateau and Bauchi states on March 9, 2019.

A seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, stood-down till 3 pm to deliver judgments on appeals seeking to sack governors of both states from office.

In Plateau state, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Jeremiah Useni, in his appeal marked SC/1501/19, queried the election of governor Simon Lalong on ground that he was not the valid winner of the governorship election.

Useni, contended that both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal failed to properly evaluate his case before it held that governor Lalong of the All Progressive Congress, APC, was duly elected in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act.

He, therefore, prayed the court to allow his appeal and set aside the judgements of the two lower courts

On his part, Governor Lalong, in his Cross-Appeal marked SC/1500/19, urged the court to hold that he was the legitimate winner of the gubernatorial contest.

In Bauchi State, the court stood-down to consider the merit of appeal that was lodged against governor Bala Mohammed by the immediate past governor of the state, Mohammed Abubakar, who lost his re-election bid on the platform of the APC.

In his appeal marked SC/1502, Abubakar urged the apex court to nullify the election of governor Mohammed of the PDP and return him as the duly elected governor of the state.