By Becky Usman

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the legitimacy of Nasir Idris as the duly elected governor of Kebbi State following the March 18 election. The court’s decision, delivered on Friday evening, dismissed an appeal brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, General Aminu Bande, on the grounds of lacking merit.

Justice Ndukwe Anyanwu, delivering a unanimous judgment, addressed the five issues presented for determination, ruling in favor of Governor Nasir Idris and against the PDP. The court found that the allegations of testimonial forgery against the Deputy Governor of the State, Abubakar Umar Tafida, were not substantiated according to legal requirements.

Additionally, Justice Anyanwu dismissed the claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election, stating that the appellants failed to demonstrate how these allegations significantly impacted the election. The court upheld the decision of the Kebbi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which had previously dismissed the PDP’s petition and affirmed the election of Governor Nasir Idris.