Benue Governor Alia requests the court to dismiss former Governor Ortom’s appeal, marking a significant legal development. Read more on the case details.
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has requested the Makurdi division of the Court of Appeal to reject the appeal submitted by former governor Samuel Ortom, which contests the High Court of Benue State’s dismissal of his case.
This case pertains to the establishment of the Income and Expenditures Commission of Inquiry initiated by Governor Alia to examine the financial activities of Benue State from May 29, 2015, to May 28, 2023.
Maduabuchi SAN stated that the Public Officers Protection Law of Benue State, which the lower court used to dismiss Ortom’s case, is not relevant to judicial review cases like the one initiated by Samuel Ortom.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, headed by Biobele Abraham Georgewill, JCA, has reserved its judgment on the appeal, with the date to be communicated to the involved parties.
During the hearing on Thursday, Matthew Burkaa, representing the first and second respondents, presented a preliminary objection questioning the appeal’s validity, asserting that Ortom’s arguments were not connected to any grounds of the appeal.
On the main appeal, Burkaa maintained that the lower court correctly dismissed Ortom’s case, as it was filed beyond the timeframe allowed by the High Court Rules and the Public Officers Protection Law of Benue State.
Counsel for other respondents, including E. N. Agoh, Ishaka Dikko, SAN, Mohammed Ndarani SAN, R. O. Adakole, Esq., and Magaji Mato Ibrahim, SAN, all supported their arguments, emphasizing that Ortom’s case was fundamentally flawed and could not be revived.
In contrast, Samuel Ortom, through his counsel Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, contended that the High Court, led by Hon. Justice T. T. Asua, erred in dismissing his case while considering his request for an extension of time to formalize his challenge against the commission of inquiry established to investigate his governorship.
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