The Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Hyacinth Alia’s election as governor of Benue State on Monday.
Titus Uba, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the March 18 governorship election, had petitioned the appellate court to overturn the tribunal’s decision, which upheld Alia’s election.
At the tribunal, Uba said, among other things, that Alia’s deputy, Samuel Ode, presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission in violation of Section 182(1)(j) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
He added that Alia’s name was submitted to INEC less than 180 days before the election date, and that Ode’s name was not submitted to INEC after the party held a re-run primary election.
The petition was dismissed by a three-member tribunal panel led by Justice Ibrahim Karaye on the grounds that it was a pre-election matter and was statute-barred.
The appeal court’s three-member panel led by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi held on Monday that the Uba failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the allegations of forgery against Ode.
cc: Punch Ng
