Appeal court upholds Bello’s victory

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, yesterday, upheld the election of Yahaya Bello as governor of Kogi State.

The appellate court, in separate unanimous judgments by a five-man panel, led by Justice Adamu Jauro, dismissed four appeals that challenged Bello’s return as the valid winner of the November 16, 2019, gubernatorial election.

The appellate court held that earlier appeals, which sought to upturn the verdict of the state’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that affirmed the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate as the winner of the poll lacked merit.

It further informed that it found no reason to upturn the tribunal’s decision as the petitioners failed to prove their case and therefore merit the nullification of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration.

The appellate court consequently dismissed the four appeals, which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) the Action People’s Party (APP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) filed against INEC, Bello and the APC.