The Court of Appeal in Abuja will today, resolve the dispute in the Sokoto State governorship election.
The court will rule on the appeal filed against the judgment of the state election petitions tribunal, which affirmed the election of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State.
Recall that Saidu Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had contested the declaration of Aliyu as the duly elected governor of the state, alleging irregularities, among others.
In a notice of judgment, the Appeal Court disclosed that it would rule on the case by 3 pm on Monday.
“Take notice that APPEAL NO, CA/S/EP/GOV/SK/30/2023: SAIDU UMAR & ANR VS. ALIYU AHMED SOKOTO & 3. ORS is coming up before the Court of Appeal Headquarters Abuja Division for judgment on Monday, the 27th day of November 2023, at 3.00 pm,” the notice read.
Justice Haruna Msheila-led three-man Election’s Petitions Tribunal, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 30, dismissed the petition of the PDP, saying the petitioners failed to prove the six grounds formulated in the petition.
Msheila said the grounds bordered on alleged ineligibility for Aliyu and Gobir to contest the falsification of certificates, variation of names, election fraud, and noncompliance with electoral guidelines.
He said petitioners could not prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt as required by law, as 70 percent of the exhibits were out of context because they relate to State Assembly elections conducted on the same dates.
The judge said to prove forgery, two documents of persons needed to be presented while Supreme Court provisions settled the variation of names issues.