PDP Governors hopeful about getting 'justice' from Supreme Court
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed confidence in the judicial system, particularly the Supreme Court, assuring the public that justice will prevail in cases where setbacks were encountered.
The statement, signed by Bala Mohammed, the chairman of the forum, highlighted the governors’ discussions on various issues of interest and their review of recent judgments by the court of appeal on gubernatorial petitions in different states.
“As a Forum, we once again re-state our overall confidence in the judiciary to do justice,” the communique read. “We believe that the Supreme Court will do justice in the cases where we recorded temporary setbacks like Zamfara and Plateau States.”
On November 16, the court of appeal nullified the election of Dauda Lawal of the PDP in Zamfara, declaring the governorship poll inconclusive and ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas—Maradun, Birnin-Magaji, and Bukyun.
Similarly, the PDP faced a setback in Plateau, where the appeal court sacked Mutfwang Manasseh as governor, citing invalid sponsorship by the party.
The governors also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its commitment to reviewing reports of irregularities in the off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo.
The forum expressed support for INEC’s decision to investigate allegations of pre-filled result sheets before the elections in some areas, stating the importance of maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.
Shifting focus to economic matters, the governors urged the federal government to prioritise the introduction of a new revenue allocation formula.
They noted the need for a formula that would allocate more funds to states and local governments, enabling them to meet their growing responsibilities.
