SAIDU UMAR & ANOR V. ALIYU AHMED SOKOTO & 3 ORS
(2024) JELR 112378 (SC)
Supreme Court
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SC/CV/ 1257/2023
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25 Jan 2024
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Nigeria
Coram
KUDIRAT MOTONMORLOLATOKUNBO KEKERE-EKUN, JSC
UWAN MUSA ABBA AJI, JSC
MOHAMMED LAWAL GARBA , JSC
IBRAHIM MOHAMMED MUSA SAULAWA , JSC
TIJJANI ABUBAKAR, JSC
Appearances
S.I. AMEH, SAN with DR. GARBA TETENGI, SAN; SULAIMAN USMAN, SAN; PAUL HARRIS OGBOLE, SAN and ABIMBOLA KAYODE, ESQ for the Appellants.
CHIEF WOLE OLANIPEKUN, SAN with MALLAM YUSUF OLAOLU ALI, SAN; BODE OLANIPEKUN, SAN; J.E. OCHIDI, SAN and OPEYEMI ADEKOYA, ESQ for the 1st and 2nd Respondents.
HASSAN M. LIMAN, SAN with AHMED A. RAJI, SAN; ISHAKA MUDI DIKKO, SAN; SAMUEL PETER KARGBO and AMANZI F. AMANZI, ESQ for the 3rd Respondent.
CHUKWUDI ENEBELI, ESQ with M.A. BAWA, ESQ. and FRANCIS AGUNIADE, ESQ for the 4th Respondent.
Judgement
<p style="text-align: center"><strong><u>JUDGMENT</u></strong></p><p style="text-align: justify"><strong><u>TIJJANI ABUBAKAR, JSC (Delivering the Leading Judgement): </u></strong>This appeal is against the Judgment of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division sitting in Abuja, delivered on the day of November 2023. The Court below affirmed the decision of the Trial Tribunal dismissing the Appellants' Petition challenging the declaration and return of the 2nd Respondent as the duly elected Governor of Sokoto State, following the elections conducted on the 18'th day of March 2023. </p><p style="text-align: justify">The main contention of the Appellants in this appeal is that the 1st Respondent was erroneously declared winner of the election by the 4'th Respondent. That the Respondents votes were inflated to read 453,661,00. while the votes of the Appellant were recorded as 404, 632,00. Appellants contended that this was not a true reflection of the votes they scored at the Election. They eventually filed a petition at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Sokoto, the major grievance of the Appellant was that the 15 and Respondent…</p>