The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the eligibility and election of the Ekiti State governor, Mr Ayo Fayose for lack of merit. The court held that the impeachment panel was in breach of the constitutional requirement, adding that should impeachment be considered, it is not enough to disqualify anyone from participating from an election, except such a person is further arraigned and convicted before a competent court of jurisdiction or Code of Conduct Tribunal, he cannot be guilty of any crime as proscribed by section 182, subsection 1 of the 1999 constitution.
The court also ruled that the issue of falsification of the governor’s educational qualification is of material benefit to the case as it has been decided since 2004 in the case between the Alliance for Democracy and the governor.
The counsel to the APC praised the ruling as laying to rest the many confusion brought about by the interpretation of section 182 of the constitution as to what constitutes a guilty verdict, enough to decide the eligibility of a contestant in an election.
The APC had challenged the qualification of Mr Fayose’s qualification for the June 21, 2014 governorship election on the grounds of his impeachment on October 16, 2006.
The party also dragged Mr Fayose to court over alleged falsification of academic qualifications and Code of Conduct rules.
The Election Petition Tribunal had on December 19, 2014, upheld Mr. Fayose’s victory and dismissed the APC’s petition for “lack of merit”.
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