In view of the time-bound nature of political cases, the Supreme Court will on Friday, January 19 deliver judgments in the contentious Ogun state governorship election appeals along with 12 other separate governorship election appeals.
Hearing and final judgments in the cases are by law to be considered and concluded within 60 days after which the matters would become statute-barred.
Apart from Ogun, other states where final verdicts are to be rendered are Delta, Nasarawa and Gombe Kebbi among others.
Prominent among the political parties that filed cases along with their Governorship candidates in the March 18, 2023 governorship elections are the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Labour Party (LP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Our correspondent observed that in Delta State, Gbagi Kenneth Omemavwa of the SDP, Omo-Agege Ovie Augustine of the APC and Pella Kwahariebie Kennedy of the LP are challenging the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State.
The cause list sighted by our correspondent also showed that Emmanuel David Ombugadu of the PDP is challenging the declaration of Engr. Sule Abdullahi of the APC, governor of Nasarawa State.
In Ogun State, Adebutu Oladipupo Olatunde of the PDP is praying the apex court to upturn the victory of Abiodun Adedapo of the APC as the lawfully elected governor of the state.
For Gombe State, Jibrin Muhammed Barde of the PDP is the appellant seeking to get the election of Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya invalidated.
Similarly, Bande Aminu of the PDP is asking the apex court to set aside the declaration of Idris Nasir of the APC and his Deputy, Abubakar Umar Argungu as winners of the March 18, 2023 governorship election.
Deputy Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court, Malam Alfa Ahmed, confirmed that 13 judgments on disputes over governorship elections would be delivered.
He said that the apex court has put adequate security arrangements in place to make the judgment delivery hitch-free.
The Deputy Director confirmed further that lawyers who represented different governors during the hearing of the cases are to come to court with only two lawyers from each chamber.
He hinted that only accredited political party leaders would be permitted into the court premises to ensure crowd control and prevent security breaches.
According to him, DSS operatives would be responsible for clearing of those that would access the courtroom while journalists accredited by the Court would be allowed into the courtroom and foyer of the court, depending on the number of seats allocated to them.
