On Monday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Hyacinth Alia’s election to the position of governor of Benue State.
Titus Uba, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for governor on March 18, filed an appeal with the appellate court seeking to overturn the tribunal’s decision upholding Alia’s election.
In the tribunal, Uba claimed, among other things, that Alia’s deputy, Samuel Ode, had violated Section 182(1)(j) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) by presenting a fake certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In addition, he stated that Ode’s name was not submitted to INEC following the party’s second primary election, and that Alia’s name was submitted less than 180 days prior to the election.
The petition was denied by a three-person tribunal panel led by Justice Ibrahim Karaye on the grounds that it was statute-barred and a pre-election subject.
The three-member appeal court panel, chaired by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, decided the case on Monday, finding that the Uba had not proven Ode’s forgery charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Details to come.