The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) appeal filed by Mr. Aminu Bande against the election victory of Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State has been dismissed by the Supreme Court. The panel of justices unanimously declared the appeal lacked merit and awarded no costs.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Nasir Idris urged the court to reject the appeal for lacking merit and affirmation of the lower courts’ judgments upholding the election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had upheld Governor Nasir Idris’ election, dismissing the PDP and Bande’s appeal for lack of merit. The three-member panel, led by Justice Ndukwe Anyanwu, held that the appellants failed to substantiate the allegations against the governor in their petition. The court ruled that the claims of forgery against the deputy governor, Abubakar Tafida, and issues of non-compliance with the Electoral Act lacked legal standing due to insufficient evidence.
Consequently, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Kebbi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had earlier confirmed Idris as the duly elected governor on October 5, 2023.
It is important to note that the March 18 Kebbi gubernatorial election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to massive vote cancellations and overvoting in 20 of the 21 local government areas (LGAs) in the state. A supplementary election was later conducted on April 15, with Governor Nasir Idris securing 409,225 votes to defeat Mr. Aminu Bande, who garnered 360,940 votes.
Bande and the PDP rejected the results and filed a petition before the tribunal, leading to the legal battles that culminated in today’s Supreme Court decision.