The Speakers of the Houses of Assembly (parliament) in the five states where the apex Supreme Court sacked their Governors on Friday are to take over as Acting Governors, pending the conduct of fresh elections in the states.
In a unanimous judgment read by Justice Walter Onnoghen, the seven-member Supreme Court panel ruled that the tenure of the five Governors expired last year and declared their offices vacant, to be filled by fresh elections.
Justice Onnoghen said no person elected under the 1999 Constitution can remain in office beyond four years, adding: 'The oath they took in 2007 remain valid. To accede to the request of Respondents (governors) is to bring uncertainty to the Constitution. It is to continue the cycle of impunity.'
The judgment was in an appeal by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governorship candidate in northern Adamawa state, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The affected state Governors are Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa).
Nigeria has 36 states, and governorship elections were held in most of the other 31 states in the country last year
No comments:
Post a Comment