PDP, Uba urge tribunal to nullify Alia’s election…

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), and its governorship candidate in Benue State, Titus Uba, has prayed the governorship elections tribunal in the state to nullify the declaration of Hyacinth Alia and Samuel Ode as governor and deputy governor of Benue State.

The petitioners stated this, yesterday, through their counsel, Efut Okon, while adopting their final written address in their petition challenging the declaration of Alia as winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Benue State.

PDP and Uba in the petition marked alleged that Alia and Ode were at the time of the election, not qualified to contest as their sponsorship was invalid having been done 44 days to the date of the election, which is less than the mandatory period of 180 days required by law for political parties to submit the names of their candidates. The PDP and its candidate also alleged that the deputy governor Samuel Ode presented a forged certificate to INEC in his form EC-9.

Counsels to the Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC), Ishiaku Dikko, counsel to Alia, S.I Ameh, counsel to Ode, Mamman Mike Osuman, and that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mathew Burkaa, all urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.

Okon, while adopting the petitioners’ final written addresses submitted that the case of the petitioners was not that the deputy governor submitted false information to INEC, but that he presented a forged certificate to the electoral commission, and the issuing authority, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, had issued a disclaimer to that effect and even sent two of its staff who testified at the tribunal, disclaiming the oath form attached to Ode’s Form EC-9.

In the final written address, the petitioners pointed out sixth visible differences between the Form EC-9 of Alia which is marked exhibit 4 and that of his deputy, despite both forms being allegedly sworn and commissioned at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.