Supreme Court Upholds Election As Zulum, Kyari As Governor And Senator

The Supreme Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by Idris Mamman Durkwa, challenging the election of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum as Governor of Borno State.

The court also dismissed a similar appeal filed by Fati Kaakenna Alkali who was challenging the election of Senator Abubakar Shaib Kyari representing Borno north.

Five justices of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Iyang Okoro dismissed both appeals in Abuja on Thursday for lacking in merit.

Idris and Kaakenna, who separately challenged the September/October 2018 APC primaries in Borno State, had approached the supreme court after losing ‎at both the Court of Appeal in Jos and the federal high court in Maiduguri.

‎At the supreme court, counsel to Idris and Kaakenna, I K Bawa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, had filed his briefs of arguments, praying the court to invoke its powers and set aside the concurrent judgments of the court of Appeal and the Federal high court in Maiduguri.

The counsel wanted the court to remove Governor Zulum and Senator Kyari from office and declare Idris and Kaakenna validly elected as Governor and Senator.

However, counsel to Professor Zulum and Senator Kyari, Yusuf Ali, a senior advocate of Nigeria, represented in court by K.K Eleja, argued that the appeals were statute-barred hence lacking in merit. He prayed that the appeals be summarily dismissed.

Five judges of the Supreme Court agreed with the argument of the defense counsel and dismissed the two appeals.