Key court cases involving the Zamfara State government — tracking wins, losses, and critically, whether court orders are actually complied with.
3
Cases tracked
0
Govt lost
2
Govt won
0
Settled
Govt Won
What the case is about
APC candidate and incumbent Governor Bello Matawalle, who polled 311,976 votes against Lawal's 377,726, challenged the March 2023 Zamfara governorship election result; the Court of Appeal controversially declared the election inconclusive, overturning INEC's declaration of Lawal as winner.
Ruling & compliance
A five-member Supreme Court panel overturned the Court of Appeal's ruling as 'perverse' and lacking evidential foundation, affirming Lawal as the validly elected governor of Zamfara State.
Govt Won
What the case is about
The EFCC accused Lawal, then a former First Bank director, of money laundering and obtaining ₦9.08 billion suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity, in proceedings that ran from May 2016 to 2021 (Federal High Court Charge No. FHC/L/419C/2018).
Ruling & compliance
The Federal High Court in Lagos discharged and acquitted Lawal of all charges on 7 October 2020, and a five-member Supreme Court panel unanimously upheld the ruling on 12-13 March 2021, ordering the EFCC to return the seized ₦9.08 billion and describing the allegations against him as 'invented and unfounded.'
Ongoing
What the case is about
The APC sued the Zamfara Independent Electoral Commission (ZASIEC) and the state government at the Federal High Court in Gusau, arguing that scheduling the November 2024 local government election just 30 days after Lawal's directive violated the constitutionally required three-month notice period and was designed to disadvantage opposition parties.
Ruling & compliance
As of the most recent information reviewed, no confirmed final ruling on this suit was identified; the election proceeded as scheduled on 16 November 2024, with PDP-backed candidates declared winners of all 14 local government chairmanship races.