Supreme Court Upholds Ahmed Aliyu's Election as Sokoto Governor
In a pivotal decision, the Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Ahmed Aliyu as the Governor of Sokoto. Justice Tijani Abubakar, speaking on behalf of the apex court panel led by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, delivered the judgment, settling the legal contestation.
The appellant had contested the election victory of Aliyu, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 2023 poll. Umar, the petitioner from the People's Democratic Party (PDP), sought the Supreme Court's intervention to set aside the concurrent judgments of both the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal.
Umar alleged electoral malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act as grounds for nullifying Aliyu's election. He urged the court to declare him as the rightful winner or, as an alternative, declare the election inconclusive and order a re-run in approximately 138 polling units.
Last year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Aliyu of the APC as the winner of the March 18 governorship election. Aliyu secured 453,661 votes, surpassing his closest rival, Umar, who received 404,632 votes.
Undeterred by the outcome, Umar contested the results by approaching the Sokoto Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal. However, on September 30, 2023, the Tribunal dismissed Umar's petition, asserting that the petitioners failed to substantiate their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Persisting in his quest for redress, Umar filed an appeal before the appellate court in Abuja, only to face another setback. In November, the Court of Appeal in Abuja unanimously affirmed Aliyu's election as the Sokoto Governor, finding no grounds to overturn the tribunal's verdict.
Undaunted, the PDP candidate pressed on and sought the Supreme Court's intervention, which has now also affirmed the victory of Aliyu as the Governor of Sokoto. This conclusive judgment from the highest court solidifies Aliyu's position as the elected leader, bringing an end to the legal challenges surrounding the gubernatorial election.