Supreme Court upholds election of Francis Nwifuru as Ebonyi Governor

The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election victory 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.

This decision follows the earlier affirmation of Nwifuru’s election by the Court of Appeal in Lagos. A unanimous decision by the three-member panel, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, dismissed the PDP’s appeal, resolving all five raised issues against the appellant, deeming the appeal lacking in merit.

Justice Sankey emphasized that the PDP and its candidate had no legal standing to interfere in the internal affairs of the APC concerning candidate nominations. The Ebonyi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja had also upheld Nwifuru’s election.

During the election, Nwifuru, representing the APC, secured 199,131 votes, defeating his closest rival, Ifeanyi Odii of the PDP, who garnered 80,191 votes. Bernard Odoh of APGA came third with 52,189 votes.

Odoh and APGA contested the election’s outcome, alleging certificate forgery and ineligibility on Nwifuru’s part. They argued that Nwifuru, at the time, was still a member of the PDP and, therefore, ineligible to be sponsored by the APC. Odoh also claimed that Nwifuru submitted a fake certificate to INEC. The tribunal, however, rejected these claims and upheld Nwifuru’s victory.