Breaking: Court Affirms Ahmad Aliyu’s APC Governorship Victory

In a unanimous ruling, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the victory of Ahmad Aliyu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the Sokoto State Governor. The appellate court, echoing the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s earlier decision validating Aliyu’s election triumph, dismissed the challenge brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Saidu Umar.

The panel of justices from the Court of Appeal unanimously agreed that there were no grounds to overturn the verdict of the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had previously endorsed Governor Aliyu’s electoral victory.

Umar and the PDP had raised objections at the tribunal, contesting the eligibility of Aliyu and his deputy, Idris Gobir, to participate in the gubernatorial election. They claimed that both candidates failed to secure the majority of valid votes required by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for victory. Allegations of irregularities, non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022, and purported electoral fraud in 138 polling units were also asserted by the petitioners. Furthermore, they accused the governor and his deputy of submitting forged certificates with name variations to INEC to support their candidacy.

Following deliberations, the three-member tribunal, presided over by Justice Haruna Mshelia, issued a judgment on September 30, dismissing the petition due to its lack of substantiated evidence. The tribunal emphasized the petitioners’ inability to validate any of the raised allegations, thus cementing Ahmad Aliyu’s status as the legitimate Governor of Sokoto State.

This decisive ruling by the Court of Appeal effectively concludes the prolonged legal dispute, affirming Ahmad Aliyu’s position as the duly elected Governor of Sokoto State and marking the conclusion of the contentious chapter in the state’s political landscape.