The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the March 18 governorship election, Titus Uba has lost his case instituted against Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State at the Court of Appeal on Monday.
The appellate court vacated Uba;s appeal and affirmed Alia’s election as governor of the State.
At the Appeal Court on Monday, Justice Onyekachi Aja Otisi who leads a three-member panel said Cuba failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the allegations of forgery against Ode.
Uba had gone to the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the tribunal which earlier on affirmed Alia’s election.
Uba had at the tribunal demanded that Alia’s deputy, Samuel Ode, submitted a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which he alleged contravened Section 182(1)(j) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
He also alleged that Alia’s name was submitted less than 180 days before the election date, and Ode was also not submitted to INEC after the party conducted a further re-run primary election.
Justice Ibrahim Karaye, who heads the three-member panel of the tribunal, dismissed the petition on the ground that it was a pre-election matter and was statute-barred.
