Supreme Court Affirms Francis Nwifuru's Election as Ebonyi Governor
In a significant development, the Supreme Court has upheld the election of Francis Nwifuru as the Governor of Ebonyi State. Justice Tijjani Abubakar, delivering the judgment, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Chukwuma Odii, citing a lack of merit in the appeal.
This decision follows the earlier affirmation of Nwifuru's election by the Court of Appeal in Lagos. The three-member panel, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, unanimously dismissed the PDP's appeal, addressing five issues raised against the appellant and concluding that the appeal lacked merit. Justice Sankey specifically highlighted that the PDP and its candidates lacked the legal right to interfere in the internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) concerning the nomination of candidates.
Prior to the Court of Appeal, the Ebonyi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja had also upheld Nwifuru's election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Nwifuru of the APC as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18, where he secured 199,131 votes, defeating his closest challenger, Ifeanyi Odii of the PDP, who garnered 80,191 votes. Bernard Odoh, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), came third with 52,189 votes.
Odoh and APGA had challenged Nwifuru's election, alleging certificate forgery and ineligibility, contending that Nwifuru, being a former member of the PDP at the time of the election, was ineligible to be sponsored by the APC. Additionally, Odoh claimed that Nwifuru submitted a fake certificate to INEC.
The tribunal rejected these claims, and now, with the Supreme Court's affirmation, it marks the conclusion of legal challenges surrounding the election of Francis Nwifuru as the Governor of Ebonyi State.