The recent ruling of the Appeal Court affirming the election of Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has been received as a positive development by the Independent Democratic Monitors (IDM).
The Appeal Court in Abuja made the decision to dismiss an appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Titus Uba, who sought to overturn Alia’s election.
Prior to this, the Benue State Election Petition Tribunal had on September 23 dismissed Uba’s petition for lacking merit.
Despite this, the PDP candidate continued to pursue redress at the Appeal Court, alleging that the Deputy Governor Samuel Ode was not qualified to be a running mate during the election due to an alleged forgery of his Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Form EC9.
However, in the ruling on Monday, Justice Onyekachi Otisi dismissed the allegation of non-qualification, stating that the PDP candidate failed to establish the forgery allegation beyond reasonable doubt.
In light of this development, Dr. James Bawa, the Executive Secretary of IDM, issued a statement expressing support for the outcome, emphasizing that it aligns with the previous ruling in favor of Alia by the governorship tribunal.
Bawa highlighted that the ruling reflects the confidence that the Benue people have in Alia and called for it to be respected by all. He also urged the opposition to extend their support to the governor, emphasizing the need for concerted efforts and focused action at this time.
