APPEAL – INTERFERENCE WITH FINDING(S) OF FACT(S) – Whether an Appellate Court will interfere with the decision of a trial Court where the judgment of the court is right but the reasons are wrong

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“I must also state for purposes of emphasis that an Appellate Court is only concerned with whether the judgment appealed against is right or wrong and not whether the reasons are correct or not. Where the judgment of the Court is right but the reasons are wrong, the Appellate Court does not interfere. It is only where the misdirection has caused the Court to come to a wrong conclusion that the Appellate Court will interfere. See EYO VS. INYANG (2001) 1 NWLR (PT. 715) 1, ABAYE VS. OFILI (1986) 1 NWLR (PT. 15) 134, UKEJUIANYA VS. UCHENDU 19 W.A.CA 46; NDAYAKO & ORS VS. DANTORO & ORS (2004) 13 NWLR (PT. 889) 187 AT 198. In the instant case, this Court has no cause to interfere with the conclusion reached by the lower Court in its judgment even if some of the reasoning are not correct. The paramount consideration of an Appellate Court is whether the decision is right and not necessarily whether the reasons are right. See ODUKWE VS OGUNBIYI (1998) 8 NWLR (PT. 561) 339 AT 350.” Per SAMUEL CHUKWUDUMEBI OSEJI, JSC in ABDULLAHI & ORS v. EL-RUFAI & ORS (2021-LCER-40454-SC) (Pp 28 – 28 Paras A – F)

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