Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and his deputy, Sam Ode, have stormed the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Abuja as it is set to hear the appeals filed against the governorship elections of Benue and Ebonyi States.
A five-man panel of Justices, led by Justice John Okoro, will preside over the proceedings.
In Benue State, the focus will be on the appeal filed by Titus Uba, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, who is challenging the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Alia is seeking the court to uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja, which affirmed his election in March 2023.
Uba’s petition centres on allegations of forgery against Deputy Governor Ode. However, the Court of Appeal Abuja dismissed the petition, stating it lacked jurisdiction as the matter constituted a pre-election issue. The court further held that Uba failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate his claims beyond a reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile, in Ebonyi State, the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii of the PDP will be heard. Odii is challenging the election of Governor David Umahi’s successor, Francis Nwifuru, who was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Court of Appeal Lagos had previously dismissed Odii’s appeal, upholding Nwifuru’s victory in a unanimous decision. The three-judge panel, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, ruled that the PDP lacked the legal standing to interfere in the internal affairs of the APC, particularly regarding candidate nomination.
