Tarzoor vs Ortom: Supreme Court Delivers Judgment Friday

By Kunle Olasanmi The Supreme Court yesterday fixed Friday for the delivery of its judgment in the appeal brought before it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the April 11 governorship poll in Benue State, Dr. Terhemen Tarzoor against the decision of the Court of Appeal which dismissed his appeal and upheld the election of Governor Samuel Ortom. The seven-man panel of Justices of the apex court, presided over by Justice Walter Onnoghen, fixed the date after the parties in the matter adopted their written addresses when the matter came up. Tarzoor had filed a petition before the Benue State Governorship Election Petitons Tribunal sitting in Makurdi, challenging the propriety of Ortom’s election. But the tribunal had dismissed Tarzoor’s petition for lack of merit and upheld the election of Ortom. Tarzoor later filed an appeal against the judgment of the tribunal which on September 21, 2015, dismissed his petition against the election of Ortom of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Following the dismissal of his appeal by the Court of Appeal in Makurdi, Tarzoor consequently filed 18 grounds of appeal before the Supreme Court, asking the apex court to uphold his appeal.