The Supreme Court on Monday
dismissed three separate appeals
challenging the victory of Governor
Willy Obiano of Anambra State in
the main and supplementary
governorship elections held on
November 15, 17 and 30, 2013.
In three unanimous judgments, the
apex court dismissed the separate
appeals filed by the candidate of
the All Progressives Congress, Dr.
Chris Ngige, the Peoples Democratic
Party and another one by its
candidate, Chief Tony Nwoye.
The seven-man panel of the
Supreme Court held that the
appellants “failed woefully” to
discharge the burden of proof
placed on them by proving that the
election was conducted without
substantial compliance with the
Electoral Act.
The court dismissed all the grounds
of their appeal including allegation
that there was massive
disenfranchisement of voters and
that Obiano was not qualified to
stand for the election on the basis
that he had engaged in double voter
registration.
Justice Kumai Akaahs, who delivered
the lead judgment in Ngige’s
appeal, held that, “Having resolved
the three issues against the
appellant in favour of the
respondents, without further ado,
we came to the following conclusion
that the appellant did not prove the
criminal allegation of double or
multiple registrations against the
25th respondent (Obiano) let alone
to prove beyond reasonable doubt.
“On the evidence adduced before
the tribunal, the 25th respondent
was qualified to contest the
Anambra State governorship
election. Indeed the appellant’s
allegations of corrupt practices of
non-compliance with the provisions
of the Electoral Act were not proved
in the first place let alone showing
that ground that it substantially
affected the outcome of the
election pursuant to provisions of
Section 139(1) of the Electoral Act.
“The appellant having failed
woefully to demonstrate why this
court should interfere with the
concurrent findings of facts of the
two lower courts, in the final
analysis, this appeal is hereby
dismissed in its entirety.”
Both Justices Kayode Ariwoola and
John Okoro, who delivered the lead
judgments in the separate appeals
filed by Nwoye and the PDP, also
dismissed the various appeals on
the grounds that they lacked merit.
The same set of justices who sat on
the three appeals concurred with
the lead judgments.
The appellants had filed their
various appeals to the Supreme
Court, challenging the July 26, 2014
judgment of the Court of Appeal,
Enugu Division, affirming the earlier
verdict of the Governorship/
Legislative Elections Petitions
Tribunal in Awka.
The tribunal had upheld the result
by the Independent National
Electoral Commission declaring
Obiano as the winner of the
election. www.punchng.com/news/scourt-upholds-obianos-victory-as-ngige-loses-appeals/

Congrats, Apokuedike!!! Let the works in Anambra continue,we will get there!