The Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, has dismissed both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress Appeals against Governor Alex Otti.
Previously, the State Election Petition Tribunal had affirmed Otti’s victory under the Labour Party, dismissing petitions from both the PDP and APC. However, dissatisfied with the Tribunal’s decision, both parties sought remedy at the Appeal Court.
In a unanimous ruling on Saturday, the three-judge Appeal Court panel upheld Otti’s win in the elections, asserting that it adhered to the Electoral Act’s provisions.
The Appeal Court judges described the APC and PDP’s petitions as a comedy skit which should not have been brought up in a democratic setting.
While delivering the unanimous decision, the judges ruled that the appellants’ petitions lacked merit, likening them to “a comedy skit unsuitable for a democratic setting.”
The court specified that matters regarding political party membership constitute pre-election issues, falling under the political party’s jurisdiction.
On the issues of Bimodial Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, brought by the PDP and its candidate, the appeal court said the appellants failed to demonstrate or link their documentary evidence to the specific parts of the case.