The Supreme Court has set June 6, 2025, as the date for its final judgment on the appeals regarding the reinstatement of Al-Mustapha Jokolo as the Emir of Gwandu.
A five-member panel of justices, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, made the decision on Tuesday after hearing arguments from all parties involved in the case.
The panel further announced that the ruling on one of the appeals would determine the outcome of the four related appeals and cross-appeals.
Jokolo, who was deposed as Emir in 2005, has been in a prolonged legal battle seeking to reclaim his throne.
Earlier, counsel to the Kebbi State government, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), requested the panel to grant leave to file additional grounds of his cross-appeal filed on March 19, 2025, against the Court of Appeal judgment of April 14, 2016.
He asked the apex court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal submitted and ordered the reinstatement of Jokolo, arguing that he failed to establish his entitlement to the declaratory reliefs sought in the application by adducing legally admissible evidence in support of his claim.
He further argued that the high court of Kebbi lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the claims of Jokolo as it did on December 11, 2014, thus, the proceedings at the Court of Appeal were null, void and of no effect whatsoever.
However, Jokolo’s counsel, Sylvester Imhanobe Esq, urged the panel to dismiss the cross appeal with substantial costs against the Kebbi State governor, Attorney General of Kebbi State, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar, among others as they failed to present any facts to disturb the concurrent findings of the lower courts that the state governor failed to convoke the requisite inquiry as provided by Section 6 of the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law of Kebbi State before his deposition.
In earlier judgments of the High Court in 2005 and the Court of Appeal in Sokoto on April 14, 2016, the courts ordered that Jokolo’s salaries and entitlements for the 10 years he was out of office should be paid to him.
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