The Supreme Court has upheld the re-election of Inuwa Yahaya as the governor of Gombe State, dismissing the appeal filed by Jibrin Barde, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who led the five-member panel, stated that Barde’s appeal lacked merit.
The Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed Inuwa Yahaya’s victory, and the Supreme Court, in its ruling, held that the findings of the appellate court were not shown to be perverse enough to warrant being set aside.
The unanimous decision solidifies Inuwa Yahaya’s position as the legitimate winner of the March 18 governorship election.
In the election, Yahaya, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured victory with 342,821 votes, defeating Jibrin Barde, his closest rival from the PDP, who polled 233,131 votes.
Following the announcement of the election results, the PDP and its candidate filed a petition, alleging irregularities such as ballot box stuffing and thumbprinting by Yahaya’s supporters in nine of the state’s 11 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
However, the Gombe State governorship election petition tribunal dismissed the suit.
Unsatisfied with the tribunal’s verdict, Barde and the PDP pursued the case to the Court of Appeal, which also dismissed the appeal, affirming Inuwa Yahaya’s victory.
With the Supreme Court’s final affirmation, the legal battles surrounding the Gombe State governorship election have reached a definitive conclusion.
