Benue Guber Election: Supreme Court Fixes Jan 15 For Judgement

The Supreme Court on Monday fixed Friday, January 15 to deliver its judgment in the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Tarhemen Tarzoor, in theApril 11, 2015 election in Benue State.

The PDP and Tarzoo had filed the appeal against the judgment of the Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal which upheld the judgment of the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirming the election of Samuel Ortom as governor of the state.

The apex court presided over by Justice Walter Onnoghen fixed the date after counsel for parties in the appeal argued and adopted their final address on Monday.The Court of Appeal in Makurdi had in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appellants’ appeal for lacking in merit.

The appeal court in its judgment had held that theappellants failed to discharge the burden of proof on them.Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s judgment, the appellants had appealed to the Supreme Court, praying it to set it aside and declare him winner of the governorship poll.

They predicated their case on the grounds that governor Ortom of the All Progressives Congress was not validly nominated by the APC to stand for the election.The appellants lead counsel, Adebayo Adenikpekun (SAN) said section 177 (1) (c) when married together with the provision of section 87 of the Electoral Act, gave the appellants the right to challenge the outcome of the election.