Supreme Court sacks 5 Governors

- by africanheraldexpress -

Supreme Court today in Abuja upheld the appeal filed by INEC against the tenure elongation case of five governors. By this ruling, all the five governors stand dismissed from office forthwith.

The governors affected are: Ibrahim Idris (Kogi); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River).

Details are sketchy but initial reports from lawyers in the courtroom indicate that the Supreme Court predicated its landmark ruling on the rationale that, under the Constitution, no governor can have a tenure longer than fours years, for a total of not more than two terms of eight years.

The ruling has paved the way for the Speakers of the five states to be sworn in, but leaving a lacuna and uncertainty in the case of Adamawa that currently does not have a Speaker and Deputy Speaker as both of them were impeached recently; and Kogi where there is already a Governor-elect in the person of Capt. Idris Wada (PDP).

In Adamawa, it is very likely that acting State Chief Judge, though under a legal challenge to his appointment, will be sworn in as acting governor.

Bayelsa State has held a primary in which Dickson (PDP) emerged over the disqualification of now sacked Governor Sylva. Adamawa has held its own primary with now sacked Gov Nyako (PDP) emerging; same is true of Cross River and Sokoto where Imoke (PDP) and Wammakko (PDP) also emerged, respectively.

This ruling also strips the governors of their ‘from one immunity to another immunity’, where except in the case of Abubakar Idris of Kogi, who has done eight years, the others – Nyako, Imoke and Wammako – even though winning the primary, are suddenly vulnerable to potential arrest for any pending cases against them.

That of Sylva of Bayelsa is even more precarious because he does not possess the Guber ticket and therefore can be said have no political value the ruling party may want to protect by blocking EFCC against him.

The ruling has been hailed by lawyers who have long argued that the literal meaning of the Nigerian Constitution on length of tenure should be upheld.