The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in an appeal filed by Sai’du Umar, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State. Umar is challenging the election of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The three-member panel of Justices at the appellate court reserved judgment to a date that will be communicated to the parties involved after the adoption of all processes.
During the proceedings, Sunday Ibrahim Ameh (SAN), who represented the appellants, urged the court to find merit in the appeal and allow it. On the other hand, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr Hassan Liman (SAN), and I. S. Mohammed, representing the first to fourth respondents, requested the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which declared Aliyu as the winner of the governorship election in the state.
It is worth noting that a three-member panel of Justices of the Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Haruna Msheila, had unanimously dismissed the petition of the PDP and its governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Sokoto State on September 30.
The tribunal’s decision was based on the petitioners’ failure to prove the six grounds formulated in their joint petition. These grounds were related to the alleged ineligibility of Aliyu and his deputy to contest, falsification of certificates, variation of names, election fraud, and non-compliance with electoral guidelines.
According to the tribunal, the petitioners were unable to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt as required by law, as 70 per cent of the exhibits they tendered were out of context because they relate to State Assembly elections conducted on the same day.
