The Supreme Court of Nigeria in Abuja has dismissed an appeal filed by Alhaji Idris Mamman Gatumba, a director at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, challenging the election of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum as Governor of Borno State.
The court also dismissed a similar appeal filed by Kaakenna Alkali Monguno, who was challenging the election of Senator Abubakar Shaib Kyari representing Borno north.
In details of proceeding released at the weekend, the panel of five justices led by Justice John Inyang Okoro, dismissed both appeals for lacking in merit.
Idris and Kaakenna, who separately challenged the September/October, 2018 APC primaries in Borno State, approached the apex 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, SAN, filed his briefs of arguments, praying the court to invoke its powers and set aside the concurrent judgements of the Jos and Maiduguri courts.
The counsel wanted the court to remove Zulum and Kyari from office and declare Idris and Kaakenna validly elected as Borno Governor and Senator.
However, counsel to the Governor and Senator Kyari, Yusuf Ali, SAN, represented in court by K K Eleja, also a senior advocate, argued that the appeals were statute barred hence lacking in merit.
He argued that the appeals be summarily dismissed to which all five judges agreed.
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