Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu has asked the Supreme Court to outrightly dismiss the appeal lodged against his election by the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Sa’adu Umar.
The governor insisted that the petition instituted against him by the two appellants was devoid of merit and substance.
At the hearing of the appeal on Wednesday at the apex court, counsel to the governor Wole Olanipekun SAN, argued that the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal were completely right in their findings and dismissal of the petition for lack of merit.
Olanipekun maintained that none of the allegations raised against the election of his client was established as required by law, thereby making the appeal liable to dismissal.
The position of Olanipekun was adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in asking for the dismissal of the appeal.
Reserved Judgment
However, the appellants, PDP and Umar, pleaded with the court to find merit in the appeal and set aside the findings and decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal which had last year dismissed the petition.
Lead counsel to the appellants, Sunday Ibrahim Ameh SAN, submitted that the case of his clients was meritorious and should be allowed.
Specifically, PDP and Umar prayed the Supreme Court to declare them as the lawful winners of the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election and not APC and Aliyu as announced by INEC.
After taking arguments from lawyers, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun-led five-man panel of Justices reserved judgment in the matter.
Kekere-Ekun announced that the judgment delivery date would be communicated to parties when it is ready.
Emmanuel Ukoh
Comments are closed.