Supreme Court Okays Ortom, Fintiri’s Elections

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the election of Samuel Orton as the duly elected governor of Benue.

The court in affirming his election dismissed the appeal filed by the appellants, Emmanuel Jime and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court in unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Silvester Ngwuta, held that the appellants failed to prove allegations made against the victory of Orton at the governorship election in Benue.

Ngwuta said that the petitioner’s appeal was dismissed for lacking in merit.

Similarly, the Supreme Court affirmed the victory of Ahmadu Fintiri as the duly elected governor of Adamawa.

The court in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Dattijo dismissed former governor Jibrilla Bindo’s appeal seeking the sack of Fintiri as Governor of Adamawa.

Sen. Bindo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 9 governorship election, challenged the emergence of Fintiri as winner of the poll.

Bindo asked the Supreme Court to set aside the concurrent decisions of the tribunal and the Court of Appeal which had dismissed his petition against the election of Fintiri for lacking in merit.

He predicated his appeal on alleged over-voting in 385 polling units, claiming that if the alleged illegal votes were deducted he would have majority of the lawful votes cast at the election to defeat the incumbent.

The court, however, said that the appellants could not establish his case of over voting and therefore trashed his appeal.