In a decisive verdict, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, has dismissed the appeal lodged by Mister Sani Yahaya of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) challenging the election of Kefas Agbu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, as the Governor of Taraba state.
Yahaya and his party contested the outcome of the March 18 governorship election, alleging non-compliance with the Electoral Act and claiming that Agbu did not secure the majority of lawful votes cast.
However, in delivering the judgment on Tuesday, the appellate court deemed the reliefs sought by the NNPP candidate inconsistent. It held that challenging the election outcome on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act while simultaneously petitioning to be declared the winner of the same election was untenable.
The court’s unanimous decision resulted in the dismissal of the NNPP’s appeal for lacking merit, echoing the stance taken by the Tribunal on September 30.
Governor Agbu secured victory in the March 18 Governorship Election with 257,926 votes, surpassing Yahaya, who garnered 202,277 votes.
The petitioners had filed a case against the victory of the PDP and its candidate, citing non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Their claims included allegations of overvoting, mutilation of result sheets, and reported incidents of violence in certain polling units.