Supreme Court affirms Bassey Otu’s victory in Cross River State Governorship Election
Supreme Court affirms Bassey Otu’s victory in Cross River State Governorship Election
Jerry Adesewo
The Supreme Court has unequivocally upheld the election victory of Bassey Otu as the governor of Cross River State.
In a decisive lead judgment delivered by Justice Helen Ogunwumiju, the apex court dismissed an appeal filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Prof. Sandy Onor, challenging Otu’s triumph in the governorship poll held on March 18, 2023.
A unanimous decision by a five-member panel, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, declared the appeal without merit, deeming it a waste of judicial time. The court revealed that the appellants failed to substantiate their claim that Governor Otu lacked the requisite educational qualifications, citing that the appeal contained pre-election issues that had become statute-barred.
Justice Ogunwumiju emphasised, “The Supreme Court will not subvert the wishes of the people on inconsequential issues that are against the settled principles of law.”
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Otu the winner of the governorship election, securing 258,619 votes against PDP candidate Onor’s 179,636 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Onor filed a petition challenging the election results, alleging that Governor Otu lacked the required educational qualifications and pointing out discrepancies in the certificates submitted to INEC.
On September 26, 2023, the Cross River State Governorship Election Tribunal dismissed the case, a verdict later upheld by the Court of Appeal, affirming Otu’s election victory.
While confirming the lower court’s verdicts, the Supreme Court emphasised that there was no claim by the appellants that Governor Otu forged his certificates. The court questioned the basis for the appellants’ allegation that Otu, a university graduate and former member of the House of Representatives and senator, was unqualified for the governorship poll.
