The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday affirmed the re- election of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC).as duly elected governor of the state in the election held on March 18,2023.
It dismissed the appeal filed by Muhammad Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for lacking in merit.
The Gombe State Governorship Election Tribunal, had earlier in October dismissed the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the re-election of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had on March 18 announced Governor Inuwa Yahaya of the APC winner of the guber poll with 342,821 votes and declared Muhammad Jibrin Barde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the runner up with 233,131votes.
Disatisfied with the results Barde had approached the Tribunal insisting that the election of the governor did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
His lawyers maintained that the PDP candidate scored the majority of the lawful votes cast during the poll while
multiple thumb printing and ballot box stuffing took place in nine local government areas of the state in favour of Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
But in their judgement a three-man panel of the tribunal chaired by Justice S.B. Belgore, dismissed the PDP application for lacking of merit.
The tribunal further expunged the witnesses statements and exhibits of the PDP (INEC forms) for being baseless.
The PDP candidate then approached the Appeal Court seeking to set aside the lower tribunal judgment.
In its judgement on Thursday, the Appeal Court agreed with the Tribunal that the PDP case was void of merit.
“We have considered all the issues and have agreed that the appeal is void of merit,” the Appeal Court held while dismissing the appeal.