Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Samuel Walter Nkanu Onnoghen, handed down the order after dismissing a motion for stay of further proceedings in the Appeal Court.
The apex court also ordered that N250, 000 should be paid to each of the respondent’s.
Acting on the orders of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja made on June 28 and October 14, 2016, INEC had dropped Eyitayo Jegede and substituted him with Jimoh Ibrahim of Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the PDP as the authentic governorship candidate of the party in Ondo State.
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This prompted Jegede to ask the appellate court to set aside Abang’s ruling.
When the matter first came up at the appeal court, Sheriff’s group forced the judges hearing the case to withdraw after accusing them of corruption allegations.
President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, constituted a new panel, yet Jegede’s rival faulted the panel, and sought its dissolution, but the court ignored the call.