The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday confirmed the election of Hyacinth Alia as the governor of Benue State.
The decision came in response to an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Titus Uba, who contested the March 18 governorship election.
Uba had approached the appellate court seeking to overturn the tribunal’s judgment, which had previously upheld Alia’s election.
Among his allegations, Uba claimed that Alia’s deputy, Samuel Ode, had submitted a falsified certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, a violation of Section 182(1)(j) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
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He also asserted that Alia’s name was submitted less than 180 days before the election date and that Ode was not submitted to INEC following a re-run primary election conducted by the party.
The tribunal, led by Justice Ibrahim Karaye, dismissed the petition on the grounds that it was a pre-election matter and thus statute-barred.
Upon reviewing the appeal, the three-member panel of the appeal court, headed by Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi, ruled in favor of Alia.
The court found that Uba failed to provide sufficient proof to substantiate his allegations of forgery against Ode. This ruling reaffirms Alia’s position as the duly elected governor of Benue State.