By Ken Afor
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded another court victory after the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the Gombe State Governorship Election Tribunal’s judgment where it dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s re-election in the March 18 gubernatorial.
Governor Yahaya was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after securing 342,821 votes while Muhammad Jibrin Barde of the PDP scored 233,131 votes.
Barde went to the Tribunal asserting that INEC’s declaration was not in line with the rules of the Electoral Law of 2022.
His lawyers stated that he had garnered the majority of valid votes cast during the election, and further alleged that in nine Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state, multiple thumbprints and ballot box stuffing was carried out in support of Governor Yahaya.
The three-man panel of the tribunal chaired by Justice S.B. Belgore, dismissed the PDP’s application due to lack of merit and further expunged the witness statements and exhibits (INEC forms), declaring them baseless.
However, the PDP candidate sought restitution from the Appeal Court after the Tribunal declared their case lacked any merit.
But on Thursday, the Appeal Court corroborated the Tribunal’s judgement, dismissing the PDP’s plea as baseless.
“We have considered all the issues and have agreed that the appeal is void of merit,” the Appeal Court held while dismissing the appeal.
ENDS
