JUST IN: BENUE GOVERNORSHIP TRIBUNAL UPHOLDS ALIA’S ELECTION

September 23, 2023

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The election of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was upheld by the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi.

The tribunal rejected the Peoples Democratic Party’s and Titus Uba’s petition contesting the March 18 election on the grounds that it lacked authority to hear the case.

Justice Ibrahim Karaye, the chairman of the three-judge panel, ruled that the tribunal lacked the authority to hear the case since the problems addressed were pre-election matters covered by Section 285 of the Electoral Act.

The tribunal hinged it’s decision on the fact that the petitioner ought to have pursued it’s case of non-qualification and the nomination of Governor Alia by the APC and the allegation of forged certificate and false information on form EC9 against his deputy, Sam Ode before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), beyond the Federal High Court which dismissed the earlier suit filed by the petitioner to the Court of Appeal and not the tribunal.

According to the result declared by the INEC after the election in March, Alia, a Catholic priest won 473,933 votes ahead of his closest rival Uba, who scored 223,913.