The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election of Peter Mbah as the governor of Enugu State.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision delivered by a five-member panel of justices on Friday, 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.
Both the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Appeal Court had upheld the declaration of Mbah as the winner of the March 18th Governorship poll conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But not satisfied, Edeoga and LP challenged the victory at the Apex court.
The tribunal had on the first ground of the petitioner’s petition which bothered on the non-qualification of Peter Mbah for allegedly forging his National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate, held that “NYSC certificate is not a qualification for anyone who wants to run for the office of the governor of the state as enshrined under section 177 of the 1999 constitution.”
It added, that “the academic qualifications required of any governorship candidate as captured under section 177 (d) is a school certificate which has been interpreted under section 318 of the 1999 constitutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2011 as amended.
“NYSC discharged certificate is not a qualification as captured under the aforementioned section of the constitution and therefore, cannot disqualify any person who has met the constitutional requirements and has been duly elected into the office of the governor of a state,” the court held.