The Court of Appeal in Abuja has sacked the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, from the Senate.
In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices on Wednesday, the court upheld the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Emmanuel Udende, challenging the Benue State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal’s judgment, which returned Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Senate.
Recall that the Benue North-East Senatorial Election Petitions Tribunal sacked Senator Emmanuel Udende and returned Senator Gabriel Suswam.
But in its verdict delivered by Justice Abimbola Osarugue Obaseki Adejumo, the court set aside the tribunal’s judgment and affirmed Udende’s victory in the February 25 senatorial election.
The appellate court held that the tribunal wrongly evaluated the evidence that was presented before it by the parties in the matter and thereby arrived at an erroneous conclusion that upheld the petition Suswam filed to challenge Udende’s election victory.
Consequently, the court voided the judgement of the tribunal, saying it found merit in the appeal that was lodged before it by the APC candidate.