In a decisive ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the victory of Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, despite facing accusations of forgery.
The five-member panel, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, upheld the governor’s election and dismissed the appeal lodged by the Labour Party (LP) and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga.
Justice Inyang Okoro concurred with the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Lagos, asserting that the allegations of electoral malpractice and the forgery of the National Youths Service Corps certificate against the governor lacked credible evidence.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal panel in Lagos, presided over by Justice Tani Yusuf-Hassan, had determined that Edeoga failed to present valid reasons to invalidate the governor’s election. Dissatisfied with this outcome, Edeoga and the LP sought final resolution from the apex court.
In alignment with the lower courts’ findings, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, citing a lack of merit in the case.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had previously declared Peter Mbah the winner of the gubernatorial election with 160,895 votes, while Mr. Edeoga secured 157,552 votes in second place.
