INEC Asks Supreme Court To Dismiss PDP’s Appeal Against Sokoto Gov’s Election As Judgment Postponed

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Sai’du Umar, against the concurrent judgments of the Sokoto State Election Petitions Tribunal and Court of Appeal, Abuja which upheld the election of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This was as the Supreme Court reserved judgment on the appeal on Wednesday.

Umar had challenged Aliyu’s election victory as announced by the INEC after the March 18 governorship election.

He asked both the tribunal and appellate court to quash the election of the governor and his deputy over alleged certificate forgery, arguing that they didn’t obtain school leaving certificates.

Umar further alleged electoral irregularities, noncompliance with the Electoral Act by the staff of INEC, as well as the governor’s failure to score majority of lawful votes cast

THE WHISTLER recalls that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja dismissed the appeal, holding that the governor’s legal team led by Chief Wole Olanipekun presented exhibits showing Aliyu was educated up to secondary school level.

A three-man panel of the appeal court,
led by Justice Ita George Mbaba held that the Tribunal was that PDP’s subpoenaed witnesses were incompetent.

The appeal court also held the Tribunal was right in its declaration that the governor did not present forged certificates as claimed by the appellants.

But at the Supreme Court, Umar’s legal team insisted that the governor ought to be removed on the grounds of certificate forgery, among other issues.

However, Olanipekun asked the five-man panel of the apex court presided by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Eku to either strike out the appeal or dismiss it for lacking in merit.

Chukwudi Enebele, who represented INEC, urged the apex court to dismiss the “appeal in its entirety”.

After hearing the parties, the apex court reserved its judgment for a later date.