Hyacinth Alia&Ode Samuel

The Benue governorship election tribunal has affirmed Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as governor of the state. Alia was declared the winner of the governorship election that was held in March. The Catholic priest polled 473,933 votes to be declared winner by the electoral commission. However, Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue, filed a petition challenging Alia's victory. Delivering its verdict on Saturday, Ibrahim Karaye, chairman of the three-member tribunal panel, said they lacked jurisdiction to hear the petition because it is a pre-election matter.

THE Supreme Court has upheld the election of Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Benue state. In its judgement on Monday, January 8, a five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by John Okoro, dismissed two appeals filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the last governorship election, Uba Titus, seeking to nullify Alia's victory. The panel said the appeals did not count as post-election matters. According to the court, the parties had agreed that the dismissal order for the first appeal – designated SC/CV/1162/2023 – should be applied to the second – marked SC/CV/1164/2023.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal brought before it by the governorship candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) Titus Uba challenging the election of Hyacinth Alia as the elected governor of Benue State. In a unanimous judgment, the court resolved all three issues formulated for determination against Uba and PDP for various reasons. Justice Onyekachi Otisi who delivered the lead judgment dismissed the allegations of non-qualification made by Uba against the deputy governor Samuel Ode. He held that the PDP candidate failed to establish forgery of INEC form EC9 by Ode beyond a reasonable doubt. ... Justice Otisi held that the appeal of Uba against the judgment of the Benue State Election Petition Tribunal delivered on September 23 lacked merit and was dismissed. The Court subsequently upheld the judgment of the tribunal and rejected the plea of the PDP governorship candidate to set it aside.

THE Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has declared Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressive Congress (APC) the winner of the state gubernatorial election held in March 2023. The tribunal, sitting in Makurdi, dismissed the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Titus Uba, on Saturday, September 23. ... the chairman of the three-man panel of justices, Justice Ibrahim Karaye, said that the tribunal had no jurisdiction to entertain the petitions as the matters raised before the tribunal were pre-election issues as captured in section 285 of the Electoral Act.

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the election of Hyacinth Alia as the governor of Benue State. Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the Benue governorship election, Titus Uba. The governorship election petition tribunal and the court of appeal in Abuja had affirmed the election of Hyacinth Alia as governor of Benue state. Not pleased with the judgments, Uba approached the apex court for redress.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, upheld the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia as the authentic winner of the March 18 governorship election in Benue State. The PUNCH reports that Alia, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, secured victory in the election with 473,933 votes, defeating Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 223,913 votes. Alia had earlier won the electoral lawsuit at both the Benue State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Justice John Okoro, who led the five-member Supreme Court panel, said the case should not have been brought before the court. ... The PDP counsel, Sebastine Hon (SAN), thereafter, applied to withdraw the appeal. All the respondents in the matter did not object and demanded no cost. Ruling, Justice Okoro held: 'This appeal having been withdrawn is hereby dismissed.'

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the election of Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state. The apex court also dismissed an appeal filed by Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the cleric turned politician who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Uba had challenged the election of Fr. Alia in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state. The Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal had ruled that Alia was duly elected, with the Appeal Court holding that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against the deputy governor, Sam Ode beyond a reasonable doubt.