The Supreme Court orders five governors whose tenures had been a subject of controversy and prolonged litigation to vacate their seats

The judgement of the Supreme Court of January 26 which brought an abrupt end to the tenures of five erstwhile   governors who had secured their mandate under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has been trailed by epic drama, intrigues and power play. The PDP governors who were affected by the ruling are Muritala Nyako of Adamawa State, Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Magatakarda Wamakko  of Sokoto State and Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State.

The apex court had ruled that their tenures in office ought to have terminated on May 29, 2011, and not one day longer.  They were therefore ordered to hand over to the speakers of their various Houses of Assembly. 

While the other four governors complied with the order and handed over to the speakers of the state Houses of Assembly, there was a snag in the case of Kogi State where Idris Wada, governorship candidate of the PDP in the December 3, 2011 governorship election in the state, had already emerged as governor-elect. Initially, there was confusion as to whether Wada should step in as governor or Abdullahi Bello, the speaker, should take over as acting governor in accordance with the order of the apex court.

Shortly after the ruling, Bello was sworn in by Nasiru Ajanah, the chief judge of the state, as acting governor and on the same day, Idris, the erstwhile governor, hurriedly handed over to Wada, who was equally sworn in as the substantive governor of the state, by Ibrahim Atadoga, president of the Customary Court of Appeal. Thus, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, two acting governors were in charge in one state.

Even on Sunday, January 28, when the PDP leadership persuaded Bello to vacate the exalted office for Wada, he refused, insisting that the apex court had ordered the speakers to take charge. The Kogi State conundrum was, however, resolved last Tuesday, following the intervention of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which endorsed the swearing - in of Wada as governor.

Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman, insisted that the December 3, 2011 election was concluded and so as the validly elected governor, Wada and not Bello was the authentic governor of the state following the Supreme Court ruling. It was at this juncture that Bello bowed out.

Jega explained that INEC’s position on the Supreme Court judgement was a result of extensive consultation with its lawyers. “As far as we are concerned, we have studied the judgment of the Supreme Court, and although it has not made any consequential order, we have consulted extensively with our lawyers and we believe the right decision is what we have taken under the circumstances,” he said.

 Jega then announced the following dates for governorship elections in the remaining four states: Adamawa –February 4; Bayelsa,  February 11; Sokoto - February 18, and Cross River –February  25. He also ruled out the participation in the election of all candidates who only won their parties’ primary elections before the Court of Appeal judgement of  April 15,  2011. “The commission wishes to categorically state that only candidates who emerged after the Court of Appeal judgement of Friday, April 15, 2011, are the recognised candidates for the elections,” Jega said.

Before the intervention by INEC, the leadership of the PDP was worried that the apex court ruling would rob it of the governorship seat it had won in Kogi and prevent it from presenting Henry Seriake Dickson, its preferred candidate in the impending Bayelsa governorship poll. However, after the ruling, the PDP leadership felt relieved