The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the March 18 governorship election, Titus Uba had approached the appellate court to set aside the judgment of the tribunal which upheld Alia’s election, on allegations that Alia’s deputy, Samuel Ode, presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission contrary to Section 182(1)(j) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Uba also claimed that Alia’s name was submitted less than 180 days before the election date, and Ode was also not submitted to INEC after the party conducted a further re-run primary election.

However, a three-member panel of the tribunal, headed by Justice Ibrahim Karaye, yesterday “dismissed the petition” on the grounds that it was a pre-election matter and was statute-barred.