*** Corrected: Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Nnoghen headed the panel today and delivered the unanimous ruling and not the CJN, Dahiru Musdapher as earlier reported.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 27, (THEWILL) – Just as exclusively reported in our earlier edition, the Supreme Court has sacked 5 state governors from office in a tenure elongation ruling delivered Friday morning in Abuja.

The 7-man panel of justices headed by Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Nnoghen, ordered the sack of Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, his Sokoto State counterpart, Aliyu Wammako; Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Kogi State); Admiral Murtala Nyako (Adamawa State); and Senator Liyel Imoke (Cross River State). The five of them belong to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The justices approved the appeal filed by INEC and Adamawa State governorship candidate, Buba Marwa, that the tenure of the governors ended on May 29, 2011.

In a unanimous decision, the apex court held that the governors have indeed overstayed their constitutional limit of four years in office.