Benue tribunal dismisses six councilorship appeals

The Benue State Local Government Election Appeal Tribunal, sitting at the Nigerian Bar Association House in Abuja, has dismissed six appeals challenging previous decisions of the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday by a three-member panel led by Hon. Justice Igyuse, the tribunal upheld the earlier rulings, affirming their legal soundness and dismissing all grounds of appeal presented by the petitioners.

According to the panel, the appellants failed to establish their claims, particularly concerning valid nominations and alleged unlawful exclusion by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).

It emphasized that the interim order and judgment from the Benue State High Court cited by the appellants were irrelevant to the petitions brought before the tribunal.

The tribunal also clarified that the High Court’s judgment did not confer candidacy rights upon the petitioners or entitle them to the reliefs they sought.

Importantly, the panel reiterated that issues relating to party leadership and candidate nominations are internal matters of political parties and lie outside the jurisdiction of election tribunals.

It noted that the disputes involved factions within the same party—the All Progressives Congress (APC)—and that the APC itself was not joined as a party to the case.

“This is a matter of internal party conflict. The APC, as a party, did not raise any complaints nor was it included in the proceedings to clarify who its rightful candidate was. No legitimate political party fields two candidates for the same position,” the panel stated.

The tribunal concluded that the omission to join the APC in the appeals significantly weakened the petitioners’ case, ultimately leading to the dismissal of all six appeals.

In a related ruling, the appeal by the Labour Party’s Hon. Tor-Adza Tertsea challenged the election of Hon. Vitalis Neji as Executive Chairman of Kwande Local Government was also dismissed for lacking merit.

Reacting to the rulings, the Benue State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Chief Fidelis Mnyim, along with the ALGON Chairman and Executive Chairman of Guma Local Government, Orwough Maurice, described the judgments as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.