Appeal Court Validates Election Of Benue Governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, November 20, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Titus Uba, in the March 18 governorship election in Benue state.

The appeal had challenged the September 23 judgment of the state’s governorship election petition tribunal which dismissed their petition against the return of Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.

A three-member panel of the court, in a unanimous judgment, on Monday, resolved the three issues, distilled for determination, against the appellants and held that the appeal was without merit.

The appellate court affirmed the judgment of the tribunal because the PDP and its candidate failed to prove their claim of forgery raised against the APC’s deputy governorship candidate in the election, Samuel Ode.

Meanwhile,the Plateau State Governor,Caleb Mutfwang has said the verdict of the appeal court that nullified his election is a temporary setback.

Mutfwang expressed optimism that the ‘mandate overwhelmingly given to him’ by the people of Plateau state would be restored. He has instructed his legal team to file an appeal against the appellant court’s verdict at the Supreme Court.