The Supreme Court affirmed the election of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on Friday, declaring him duly elected.
In a lead judgment written and delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba, the court dismissed allegations that Governor Mbah lacked the National Youth Service Corps certificate, a required document submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court addressed all issues raised in the appeal filed against Mbah’s victory. The appellant, Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party, had challenged the Court of Appeal’s decision upholding Mbah’s election before the Supreme Court.
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, in its unanimous decision, ruled against Edeoga on all three points of his appeal. The three-member panel, presided over by Justice Tani Hassan, concluded that the appellant failed to prove Mbah’s ineligibility for the gubernatorial race.
Regarding the allegation of overvoting, Justice Hassan, in her lead judgment, held that the voters’ register was never presented before the lower tribunal. This omission, she explained, rendered the appeal inadmissible. Additionally, the court found that the appellant’s witness testimonies did not provide evidence of overvoting in the governorship election.
Therefore, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal as lacking merit and confirmed the election tribunal’s decision upholding Mbah’s victory as the PDP candidate in the March 18 election. The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Mbah the winner of the aforementioned election.
