Tension As Supreme Court Delivers Judgement on Ebonyi, Benue Governorship Election
- The fate of Hyacinth Alia of Benue state and his Ebonyi counterpart Francis Nwifuru rests in the hands of the Supreme Court
- This is as the apex court will hear the appeals challenging their March 18, 2023, election victory on Monday, January 8
- The highest court's verdict will determine the authentic winner of the disputed polls
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Supreme Court will hear the governorship election appeals of Ebonyi and Benue states on Monday, January 8.
Source: Facebook
Supreme Court to hear election appeal of Benue state
As reported by Channels TV, Justice John Okoro is leading the five-man panel of justices that will rule on the disputed governorship election held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, in both states.
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state and his deputy, Sam Ode, are at the apex court for the hearing.
Interestingly, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue state, Titus Uba, is challenging the victory of Governor Alia, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had affirmed Alia's election as governor of Benue state and declared him the authentic winner of the March 18 governorship poll.
The court held that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against Ode beyond reasonable doubt.
Supreme Court to decide Ebonyi gov's fate today
For Ebonyi state, the Court of Appeal in Lagos had earlier affirmed the election of Francis Nwifuru as the authentic governor of Ebonyi state.
Justice Jummai Sankey, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii, the candidate of the PDP.
The panel also resolved all the five issues raised against the appellant and dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.
However, the highest court will on Monday (today) hear the appeal filed against Nwifuru's electoral victory.
Possible dates for judgement in Kano, Lagos, and others
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Supreme Court was set to conduct hearings on 21 appeals concerning disputes from the recent governorship election.
The cases involving states such as Ebonyi, Plateau, Delta, Adamawa, Abia, Ogun, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom are scheduled for Monday through Thursday, January 11.
Additionally, there is a possibility that judgments for previously heard post-election governorship appeals, including those for Kano and Lagos, among others, may be delivered on Friday, January 12.
Appeal Court affirms Mohammed's victory
In another development, Legit.ng reported earlier that the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, delivered its judgement in favour of the PDP.
The appellate court affirmed the victory of Governor Mohammed of Bauchi state in the Saturday, March 18 governorship election. It dismissed the appeal filed by Air Marshal Abubakar.
The panel of three justices unanimously awarded no cost as the court ruled that each party to the matter should bear their costs.
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Source: Legit.ng
