In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed the election victory of Peter Mbah as the governor of Enugu State.
The five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed an appeal filed by the Labour Party and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, challenging the outcome of the governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
The apex court upheld the concurrent verdicts of the Enugu State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which had previously dismissed all the allegations raised by the Labour Party against Governor Peter Mbah.
Justice Mohammed Garba stated, “The Labour Party and its candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, failed to prove the allegations of substantial non-compliance with the electoral law.”
The court also dismissed the allegation of NYSC certificate forgery, one of the bases for challenging Governor Mbah’s victory.
The Supreme Court’s decision followed the earlier verdict of the Court of Appeal in Lagos, which upheld Governor Mbah’s election, dismissing the three issues raised by the Labour Party and its candidate against him.
In November, the appellate court, led by Justice Tani Yusuf-Hassan, held that Edeoga and the LP failed to establish their allegations, including claims of widespread over-voting within Mbah’s strongholds.
The court noted the appellants’ failure to provide the voters’ register used for the election as evidence.
Mbah, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, was initially declared the winner of the gubernatorial contest by the Independent National Electoral Commission, having polled a total of 160,895 votes.
Edeoga of the LP came second with 157,552 votes, while Frank Nweke of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) polled 17,983 votes to place third.
Edeoga and the LP contested the results, alleging that they polled the highest number of valid votes and questioning Mbah’s eligibility, accusing him of submitting a forged National Youth Service Corps Certificate to INEC.
However, the Supreme Court, in its final ruling on Friday, dismissed the appeal, affirming Peter Mbah as the valid winner of the Enugu State governorship election.
