Governor Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal lodged against his election victory by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Sa’adu Umar.
During the hearing at the apex court on Wednesday, the governor’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun SAN, argued that the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal were justified in their findings and dismissal of the petition for lack of merit.
Olanipekun emphasized that none of the allegations against his client’s election had been substantiated as required by law, making the appeal liable for dismissal.

This stance was supported by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In contrast, the appellants, PDP and Umar, pleaded with the court to consider the merits of their appeal and overturn the decisions of the lower courts, which had dismissed their petition.
The lead counsel for the appellants, Sunday Ibrahim Ameh SAN, argued that their case was strong and deserved to be upheld.
Specifically, PDP and Umar urged the Supreme Court to declare them as the rightful winners of the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election, contesting the victory announced by INEC in favor of APC and Aliyu.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun-led five-man panel of Justices reserved judgment in the matter, with the delivery date to be communicated to the parties.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had previously affirmed Aliyu’s election victory, dismissing the appeal filed by PDP and Umar.
The panel upheld the tribunal’s decision, stating that there was no reason to overturn the verdict that upheld the governor’s victory.
Aliyu, representing the APC, was declared the winner of the governorship election with 453,661 votes, defeating Umar who secured 404,632 votes.
However, Umar alleged that Aliyu and his deputy, Idris Gobir, had forged the certificates they presented to INEC to qualify for the election.
Previously, the Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Haruna Msheila, unanimously dismissed the petition of the PDP and its governorship candidate, ruling that the petitioners failed to prove their case.
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