Supreme Court to decide Ortom, Tarzoor case on Friday

THE Supreme Court will on Friday, January 15, 2016 deliver its verdict in the appeal lodged by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April 11, 2015 gubernatorial election in Benue State, Dr. Terhemen Tarzoor against the decision of the Court of Appeal, which rejected his appeal in November.

Presiding Justice of the seven-man panel, Justice Walter Onnoghen fixed the said date for judgment following the adoption of written addresses by parties Monday.

On September 21, 2015, the Benue State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Makurdi dismissed Tarzoor’s petition challenging the declaration of Samuel Ortom of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the state governorship election.

The PDP governorship candidate in Benue had challenged Ortom’s victory on the contention that he was not duly nominated as a candidate to run the election.

In his petition, Tarzoor claimed that the party did not hold any lawful primary election for the election of its candidate for the governorship election.

Following the dismissal of his appeal by the Court of Appeal, Makurdi Division, Tarzoor had late last month filed a notice, containing 18 grounds of appeal before the Supreme Court, indicating specific areas where the appellate court erred in its decision, which ultimately led to the dismissal of his appeal and prayed the apex court to uphold the appeal.

When the case was mentioned at the Supreme Court, counsel to Mr. Tarzoor, Joy Adesina (SAN), told the court that parties had not concluded the exchange of processes, saying filing of processes before the court shall close on December 21.