The Supreme Court has conclusively resolved the legal dispute over the Cross River State Governorship election by affirming Bassey Otu as the duly elected governor. The dismissal of the appeal brought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Prof Sandy Onor, was delivered in a unanimous judgment by Justice Heleen Morenikeji Ogunwumiju on Friday.
The apex court emphasized that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate failed to substantiate allegations of non-qualification against Governor Bassey Otu. Justice Ogunwumiju deemed Prof Onor’s claim that the governor lacked sufficient education as nonsensical, highlighting their failure to establish these allegations when pressed at the tribunal.
While no costs were awarded against them, Justice Ogunwumiju dismissed the petition entirely, declaring it baseless and lacking in merit. The Supreme Court upheld the consistent findings of both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier dismissed the petition for lacking merit.
