Sokoto guber poll: Court of Appeal reserves judgment

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Sai’du Umar, challenging the election of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court reserved judgment to a date that would be communicated to parties in the matter after the adoption of all processes.

While Sunday Ibrahim Ameh (SAN) representing the appellants prayed the court to find merit in the appeal and allow it, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Dr Hassan Liman (SAN) and I. S. Mohammed, representing the first to fourth respondents, asked 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 will be recalled that a three-member panel of Justices of the Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Haruna Msheila, had, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 30, dismissed the petition of the PDP and its governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Sokoto State.

The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to prove the six grounds formulated in their joint petition.

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According to the tribunal, the grounds stated in the petition bordered on alleged ineligibility of Aliyu and his deputy to contest, falsification of certificates, variation of names, election frauds and non compliance with electoral guidelines.

The lower court held in its judgment that the petitioners were unable to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt as required by law, as 70 per cent of exhibits they tendered were out of context because they relate to State Assembly elections conducted on the same day.