The Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Ahmad Aliyu as the governor of Sokoto State, dismissing an appeal brought before it by Sai’du Umar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a ruling delivered by Tijjani Abubakar, who led a five-member panel of the apex court, it was affirmed that the lower court’s decision to dismiss Umar’s appeal was justified.
The appeal, which was deemed to lack merit, challenged the victory of Aliyu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the gubernatorial election.
Aliyu emerged victorious with 453,661 votes, defeating Umar, who secured 404,632 votes in the contentious poll.
Umar, however, alleged that Aliyu and his running mate, Idris Gobir, had presented forged certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the election.
Additionally, the petitioners raised concerns about electoral fraud during the voting process.
Despite these allegations, both the tribunal and the appellate court ruled in favor of Aliyu, emphasizing the petitioners’ failure to substantiate their claims with credible evidence.
The tribunal concluded that the petitioners could not prove the six grounds outlined in their petition, while the appellate court deemed most of the evidence presented as legally inadmissible.
With the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the rulings of the lower courts, Aliyu’s victory in the Sokoto State governorship election has been reaffirmed, solidifying his mandate to lead the state.
