The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the victory of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State in the March 9 governorship election.
In a unanimous judgement delivered on Thursday, the court dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the poll, Mr Emmauel Jime, for lacking in merit.
The judgment also resolved all the issues against the appellants.
Meanwhile, the appellate court awarded the sum of N150,000 fine against the APC candidate.
Governor Ortom contested for re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after defecting from the APC.
In his reaction, the governor described the judgment as a victory for the people of the state who gave him a second term mandate.
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In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, he noted that verdict has not only validated the earlier judgment of the Governorship Election Tribunal but also confirmed the choice of Benue voters in the 2019 polls.
The governor also thanked the leadership and members of the PDP in the state and the residents in general for the support given to him.
He thanked his legal team for its outstanding performance at the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
Governor Ortom, however, stressed that the task of building the state was the responsibility of all the people and called on the APC candidate and other contestants in the last election to join hands with him to develop Benue.
He stated that his administration would collaborate with sons and daughters of the state, irrespective of political differences, ethnicity, religion, and place of origin.
