The Supreme Court on Friday, December 9, 2016 affirmed Ben Ayade of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the governor of Cross River State.
Professor Ayade was facing a challenge by Joe Agi of the PDP who sought the sack of Ayade based on alleged false age declaration. Agi had asked the apex court to declare the governor’s emergence as the PDP flagbearer as null and void.
At the last sitting, the party withdrew its pleadings at the lower court and aligned with Agi’s submission, which seeks to unseat Ayade for alleging lying in his nomination forms in contravention to the ruling political grouping’s extant laws.
The Supreme Court ruled that Joe Agi, a senior advocate of Nigeria, was unable to prove his allegation against the governor.
In an unanimous judgement, a five-member panel of justices dismissed Agi’s application for lacking in merit.
The SAN had contested the 2015 PDP governorship primary against the university professor and lost.
Thousands of aides of the Cross River State governor, alongside other top government officials have left the state to Abuja where they are keeping vigil on the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling between their principal and Agi, Vanguard reported on Thursday.
“Many of the aides who are anxious of the outcome of the case began leaving the state in droves to Abuja while the deputy governor of the state, Professor Ivara Esu left on Wednesday and the governor left on Thursday morning,” the report said.
“I am not aware of any movement by the political class of the state to Abuja but we can only be upbeat and optimistic of a good outcome, so we are not anxious whatsoever,” Linus Obogo, a spokesperson for the governor told the newspaper.
It was also learnt that supporters on both divides had printed T-shirts in anticipation of victory while an unusual calm was noticed around the governor’s office although a celebration committee had been put in place. However, Christmas preparations were on.
