Apex court upholds Samuel Ortom's venue in Benue poll

The Supreme Court of Nigeria’s supreme has upheld the election of Samuel Ortom as governor of Benue State. 

Justice Sylvester Nguta dismissed the appeal of Terhemen Tazoor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the April 11, 2015 governorship election.

The PDP candidate had argued that Ortom was not a member of the All Progressives Congress as at the time he emerged the party’s governorship candidate and therefore asked the apex court to declare that the APC had no candidate in the election and he be declared the winner.

But the apex court ruled that Tazoor had no locus standi to file the case since he wasn't a member of the APC. The judgement is in line with the ruling of both  the Benue State Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal court.

“The appellant has no locus standi to challenge the process of another party”, the court said in its unanimous judgment delivered by a seven-man panel.