Update: Supreme Court Sack 5 State Governors

SAN FRANCISCO, January 27, (THEWILL) – Just as exclusively reported in our earlier edition, the Supreme Court has sacked 5 state governors from office in a tenure elongation ruling delivered Friday morning in Abuja.

The 7-man panel of justices in a unanimous judgement read by Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Nnoghen, ordered the sack of Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, his Sokoto State counterpart, Aliyu Wammako; Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Kogi State); Admiral Murtala Nyako (Adamawa State); and Senator Liyel Imoke (Cross River State). The five of them belong to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The justices approved the appeal filed by INEC and Adamawa State governorship candidate, Buba Marwa, that the tenure of the governors ended on May 29, 2011.

In a unanimous decision, the apex court held that the governors have indeed overstayed their constitutional limit of four years in office.

Members of the panel are the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and chairman of the panel, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, Justice Mahmud Mukhtar, Justice Walter Onnonghen, Justice Chukwuma Ene, Justice Ibrahim Coomasie, Justice Olufunlola Adekeye and Justice Mary Peter-Odili.

They held that to allow the governors to spend more than four years would lead to absurdity as the crafters of the constitution did not intend for a sitting governor to spend more than four years in office before seeking re-election if he /she chooses to.

The justices said to allow the 5 governors to stay a day beyond May 29, 2011 would lead to a culture of impunity.

"No governor can remain in office more than the years provided for by the constitution.

"To reject the period earlier spent is contrary to common sense and the intention of the constitution."