Mr. Joseph Waya has been affirmed by the Supreme Court as the duly elected governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, for Benue state in the March 11, 2023 elections.
The apex court in a unanimous ruling Monday, read by Justice C Nweze, the panel of five Justices, said the Appeal Court had no business interfering with the evaluation of evidence of the trial court.
The court held that the trial court rightly evaluated the evidence before it and found that the first respondent, Prof. Priscilla Aka, failed to prove her case.
The apex court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise Mr. Waya as the governorship candidate of APGA in Benue state and also include the party’s name on the ballot papers of the governorship election.
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 over alleged irregularities and disenfranchisement of its supporters
Having lost at the court of first instance, she proceeded to the Appeal Court where the ruling favoured her but was overturned by the apex court.
By the ruling of the Supreme Court, Mr. Waya will be flying the flag of APGA in Saturday’s poll.