The winner of Nigeria’s longest governorship legal dispute finally took office on Saturday as governor of southwest Ekiti State, a day after an appeals court removed the former holder of tha office.
Kayode Fayemi, 45, a candidate of opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, was sworn in as the legal winner of the April 2007 gubernatorial poll in the state, succeeding Segun Oni whose victory he had consistently challenged in several courts over 41 months.
He was sworn into office at the state capital Ado-Ekiti amidst jubilation from party loyalists and his supporters.
“It is the longest dispute ever known in Nigeria’s legal history to have been resolved in respect of governorship election,” said Lagos lawyer Festus Keyamo.
Five judges of the court in Ilorin, in central Kwara State, unanimously ruled Friday to upturn the decision of a lower court which had earlier confirmed the controversial victory of Oni, candidate of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the state governor.
The 2007 polls that brought former president Umaru Yar’Adua and state governors to power were judged deeply flawed by local and international observers.
Since that election, courts have ruled to remove many governors and legislators whose electoral victories were proved to be fraudulent.