March 06, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court on Monday, in Abuja, affirmed the candidature of Mr Joseph Waya, as the duly elected governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) for Benue State governorship elections.
In its unanimous ruling read by Justice C.C Nweze, the panel of five judges said the Appeal Court had no business interfering with the evaluation of evidence of the trial court.
They averred that the trial court rightly evaluated the evidence before it and found that the first respondent, Prof Priscilla Aka, failed to prove her case on the balance of probability.
The court, therefore, ordered the relevant government organs to include the party’s name on the ballot papers of the governorship elections.
It will be recalled that the first respondent, who failed to clinch the party’s nomination ticket for the 2023 general elections, dragged the party, its candidate and INEC to court on account of irregularities and disenfranchisement of its supporters during the exercise.
Having lost at the trial court, the first respondent proceeded to the Appeal Court, where she was granted temporary respite, which was overturned on Monday, by the Apex Court.
By this verdict, the party and its candidate, Waya, are set for Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
It will be recalled that political leaders in the fourteen Tiv-speaking Local Government Councils in Benue state, have met and zoned the governorship to Jechira Federal Constituency and Vandeikya in particular, which Joseph Waya comes from.
A foremost journalist, Waya will file out against other contenders including Revd Fr Hycinth Alia of APC, Titus Uba of PDP, and Herman Hembe of the Labour Party (LP) among others.
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