[UPDATED] Supreme Court affirms Fayose’s victory

Update:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed Ayodele Fayose as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State in the June 21, 2014 election.

‎In a unanimous decision by the seven-man panel led by Justice John Fabiyi, the apex court upheld the earlier decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal, which had both earlier ruled that the petition challenging Fayose’s victory lacked merit.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court dismissed all the grounds of appeal filed by the petitioner – the All Progressives Congress – and resolved all four issues arising from the appeal against the party.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party polled 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress who polled 120,433 votes‎ in the election.

Dissatisfied by the results declared by the INEC, the APC had filed a petition, urging the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which sat in Abuja to nullify the election.

The petitioner had anchored its case on the grounds of alleged irregularities, intimidation of its leaders by the military, ineligibility of Fayose to stand for the election and allegation that the PDP candidate forged his Higher National Diploma certificate presented to INEC.

The Justice Siraju-Mohammed-led tribunal had, in its verdict delivered on December 19, 2014, ‎dismissed the petition for lacking merit. ‎ The Justice Abdul Aboki-led five-man panel on April 15, 2015 affirmed the decision of the tribunal.

But the APC further appealed to the Supreme having been dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment on Tuesday, held that none of the grounds of appeal was proved by the appellant‎.

It held that while impeachment was not a ground of disqualification ‎from contesting as governor under section 182 of Nigeria’s constitution, the panel which recommended Fayose for impeachment on October 16, 2006, was illegally and unconstitutionally constituted.

It also held that the allegation of certificate forgery had been caught by the principle of “issue estoppel” as it had been laid to rest since 2004 by the Court of Appeal’s judgment‎ in the case of Alliance for Democracy.

According to the apex court, the Court of Appeal had, in the said judgment, held that the HND certificate was genuinely earned by and awarded to Fayose.

On the issue of militarisation and harassment of leaders of the APC, the Supreme Court held that the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police, joined as 4th and 5th defendants in the case were not necessary parties.

The apex court held that ‎the actions of the men and officers of the two defendants that allegedly harassed the APC leaders during the election and whose names were not mentioned could also not be answerable for by the INEC as stipulated by the Electoral Act.

__________________________________________________________________

There was anxiety in Ekiti State as the Supreme Court in Abuja prepared to deliver judgment on Tuesday (today) in the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress against the victory of Governor Ayodele Fayose in the June 21, 2014 governorship election.

Fayose, in a state-wide broadcast on Monday, asked residents to maintain the peace and go about their lawful duties.

The governor, who thanked the people for voting overwhelmingly for all the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidates in the Saturday House of Assembly elections, said the victory had confirmed that he had a genuine mandate of the people.

He said that he was sure that he would be vindicated at the end of the day and triumph over whatever plot being hatched to truncate his tenure.

A commercial driver, Ade Bamidele, expressed confidence that the governor would win the case.

A trader, Esther Orji, said the Ekiti people required peace, saying the judgment would remove the tension associated with the election.

The Ekiti Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had on December 19, 2014 upheld Fayose’s victory and dismissed the APC petition for lack of merit.

Dissatisfied, the APC had gone to the appellate court on the grounds that Fayose was not qualified to stand for the election as a candidate because of his impeachment on October 16, 2006 during his first tenure as governor.

The APC also alleged that the governor forged his academic certificates and violated the Code of Conduct rules.

The five- member panel, chaired by Justice Abdul Aboki, in its judgment on February 16 had upheld the judgment of the Tribunal, which affirmed Fayose as the winner of the June 21, 2014 poll.

Though the Justice Abdul Aboki-led five-man panel dismissed the appeal filed by the APC, it found merit in the appellant’s complaints that the military was used to harass and intimidate its supporters and leaders during the polls.

Dissatisfied still, the APC had gone to the Supreme Court.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Fayose polled 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 120,433 votes in the election.

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set u free...

My love for Fayose

No escape route 4 dis guy

SmartMobility wrote:

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set u free...

My love for Fayose

Good

His days are numbered.

How?

Twogoods wrote:

SmartMobility wrote:

You shall know the truth and the truth shall set u free...

My love for Fayose

Good

that all...

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

I disagree with u

eveybody is special on his/her own...

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

GBAM!

Twogoods wrote:

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

I disagree with u

Don't mind him, where are you when he called GMB names and behave senseless ?

eddyvic wrote:

Twogoods wrote:

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

I disagree with u

Don't mind him, where are you when he called GMB names and behave senseless ?

abi o, tout guy!

Lolz

Lol...!

Niger Delta Militant Leader Ateke Has A
Message For Buhari
Ex-militant and leader of the Niger Delta
Vigilante (NDV), Ateke Tom, has said former
militant leaders in the Niger Delta region are
ready to work with the President-Elect,
General Muhammadu Buhari.
Ateke, who disclosed this while speaking in
pidgin english to newsmen at Okochiri in
Rivers State, urged Gen. Buhari to invite
leaders of genuine militant camps to discuss
on how to move the region forward.
In his words, “I am here to congratulate
Buhari for his victory. We will want good
leadership; we thank God that Buhari is now
our President and we pray God Almighty to
give him wisdom to rule our country. Since
Buhari is now our President, we want him
to meet with the core leaders of the Niger
Delta struggle; I mean the real leaders in the
struggle.
“He should call the real leaders and talk to
them. Let us discuss on our needs. He
should also not forget the Amnesty
Programme, because we know what we
fought for and that was why they gave us
Amnesty. We did not get the Amnesty
Programme from the backyard. So, let him
keep to the programme. Let the Amnesty
Programme function well and we will like it.
We are ready to work with Buhari.”
The former militant leader said none of the
former agitators in the region will go back
to the creeks.
Ateke said, “Some people are saying they
want to go back to the creek, or they want
to blow up pipelines; no, I, Ateke Tom will
not be part of that, we don’t need all those
things and nobody will go back to the
creeks. I have a say in the Niger Delta and I
am one of the top fighters; so nobody will
go back to the creeks. I advice the youths
not to follow anybody back to the creeks.
“We should not say because there is change
of government and Buhari is now the
President, and somebody wants to go back
to the creeks; what are you going there to
do? So, let nobody follow anybody to the
creeks. What we want is that let Buhari meet
us and treat us well.”

nice one

Yes o!

yeah

delafirst wrote:

Niger Delta Militant Leader Ateke Has A
Message For Buhari
Ex-militant and leader of the Niger Delta
Vigilante (NDV), Ateke Tom, has said former
militant leaders in the Niger Delta region are
ready to work with the President-Elect,
General Muhammadu Buhari.
Ateke, who disclosed this while speaking in
pidgin english to newsmen at Okochiri in
Rivers State, urged Gen. Buhari to invite
leaders of genuine militant camps to discuss
on how to move the region forward.
In his words, “I am here to congratulate
Buhari for his victory. We will want good
leadership; we thank God that Buhari is now
our President and we pray God Almighty to
give him wisdom to rule our country. Since
Buhari is now our President, we want him
to meet with the core leaders of the Niger
Delta struggle; I mean the real leaders in the
struggle.
“He should call the real leaders and talk to
them. Let us discuss on our needs. He
should also not forget the Amnesty
Programme, because we know what we
fought for and that was why they gave us
Amnesty. We did not get the Amnesty
Programme from the backyard. So, let him
keep to the programme. Let the Amnesty
Programme function well and we will like it.
We are ready to work with Buhari.”
The former militant leader said none of the
former agitators in the region will go back
to the creeks.
Ateke said, “Some people are saying they
want to go back to the creek, or they want
to blow up pipelines; no, I, Ateke Tom will
not be part of that, we don’t need all those
things and nobody will go back to the
creeks. I have a say in the Niger Delta and I
am one of the top fighters; so nobody will
go back to the creeks. I advice the youths
not to follow anybody back to the creeks.
“We should not say because there is change
of government and Buhari is now the
President, and somebody wants to go back
to the creeks; what are you going there to
do? So, let nobody follow anybody to the
creeks. What we want is that let Buhari meet
us and treat us well.”

wat's dis doing here?

The guy don't know how to create thread i think.

eddyvic wrote:

Twogoods wrote:

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

I disagree with u

Don't mind him, where are you when he called GMB names and behave senseless ?

nah true, GMB is now God, he will strike any body that call him name.

If GMB is god he will kill who so ever that sin against him

African always used their power

The way we reason is different. chaii, God u create o

eddyvic wrote:

The guy don't know how to create thread i think.

dat's a cirios case o

Yet it is

eddyvic wrote:

The way we reason is different. chaii, God u create o

True talk ooo

That is man for u

Hmm, some reason upside down.

Lol

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

Twogoods wrote:

SmartMobility wrote:

eddyvic wrote:

His days are numbered.

FOR WHAT? THAT IS THE PROBLEM OF NIGERIA AND APC

I disagree with u

Don't mind him, where are you when he called GMB names and behave senseless ?

nah true, GMB is now God, he will strike any body that call him name.

If GMB is god he will kill who so ever that sin against him

African always used their power

Black man wit black tot, olote!

Hmmmm

OH

Olote too much for here

Na wa ooo