Appeal Court gives verdict on PDP vs APC suit seeking to sack Sokoto Governor

Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18 governorship election in the state has been affirmed as the authentic winner of the poll.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday, November 27, affirmed the victory of the governor in the election, The Nation reported.

APC defeats PDP in Sokoto governorship election judgment

In a unanimous judgment, the Sokoto division of the Court of Appeal, which sat in Abuja on Monday, stated that the challenger of the governor's victory did not prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Ita Mbabaled panel dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Saidu Umar appeal with the suit number CA/S/EP/GOV/SK/30/2023.

According to the Court of Appeal, the judgment of the Sokoto state governorship election petition tribunal on September 30 stands as it dismissed the appeal of the opposition.

Why court dismissed PDP suit against Governor Aliyu

In his decision, Justice Mbaba maintained that the tribunal was on the right track when it held that Aliyu and his deputy, Idris Gobir, were qualified to contest the election, and their certificates were not forged as against the claim of the appellants.

Umar and the PDP are challenging the victory of the governor and his deputy on the grounds that Aliyu and Gobir were not eligible to contest the election, that they falsified their certificates, there was variation in their names, non-compliance of the electoral guidelines and electoral fraud.