Supreme Court Affirms PDP’s Nasir Idris as Kebbi State Governor

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Nasir Idris of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Kebbi State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Aminu Bande.

In a unanimous decision, the court, led by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, dismissed all issues raised by the PDP and Bande against Idris’s election.

The court held that the allegations of forgery of testimonial against the deputy governor, Abubakar Tafida, were not proven as required by law.

The Supreme Court also ruled that the issues of non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election failed due to the appellants’ inability to demonstrate how the allegations substantially affected the outcome of the poll.

This decision affirmed the judgments of the Kebbi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier upheld Idris’s victory.

The election, initially declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to “massive vote cancellation and over-voting,” later saw a supplementary election on April 15, 2023.

In this election, Idris secured 409,225 votes, defeating Bande, who garnered 360,940 votes.

Bande and the PDP contested the result, alleging over-voting in some polling units and questioning Idris’s eligibility.

They also accused the deputy governor of submitting a fake secondary school testimonial to INEC.

However, the tribunal, chaired by Justice Ofem Ofem, found no substantial evidence to support these claims.

Justice Ofem stated that the evidence presented did not prove that the deputy governor presented a fake certificate, and the allegations of over-voting were only substantiated in nine out of 59 polling units, which did not significantly affect the election’s outcome.

With the Supreme Court’s decision, Nasir Idris remains the duly elected Governor of Kebbi State, solidifying the APC’s hold on the state’s leadership.