An Appeal Court sitting in Nigeria’s Mid-western Edo state Tuesday ruled that fiery ex-labour leader Adams Oshiomhole is the duly elected governor of the state, ending almost two years of legal battle on the governorship election held on 14 April 2007.
In a two-and-a-half-hour, unanimous judgement, the court upheld the decision of the lower court – the state’s election petition tribunal – in March upturning the election of Oserheimen Osunbor of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declaring Oshiomhole of the opposition Action Congress (AC) as the duly elected governor of the state.
In declaring Oshiomhole winner, the court said he ”scored the highest number of votes cast in the April 14th 2007 governorship election in the state, as well as meeting the conditions stipulated in the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act”.
It ordered that the Certificate of Return issued to Gov. Osunbor should with withdrawn while Oshiomhole should be sworn in as governor.
The judgement immediately elicited massive jubilation within and outside the court, with many declaring it as a ”landmark decision”.
Security was extremely tight in the state capital, Benin city, as the packed-court listened to the judgement.
The election petition tribunals sitting across the country have upturned many state and federal parliament as well as governorship elections since last year’s general elections, which was marred by widespread rigging and violence.
Reacting to the judgement, the AC said the Appeal Court ”did the right thing” by declaring Oshiomhole winner.
“There is no doubt that the judgement will go a long way in shoring up the image of the judiciary, which seems to have taken a battering in recent times over some curious and inexplicable judgements on the 2007 general elections,” the party’s spokesman, Lai Mohammed, said.
He thanked the people of the state and assured them of ”good governance” under Gov. Oshiomhole, just like what is being enjoyed by the residents of the other state controlled by the opposition party – Lagos state.