The Supreme Court is set to hear the Governorship Election Appeals of Ebonyi and Benue States, with Justice John Okoro leading the five-man panel of Justices.
The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, and his deputy, Sam Ode, are in attendance.
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Titus Uba, is challenging the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Court of Appeal Abuja, had affirmed Alia’s election as governor of Benue State, who was declared the winner of the March 18 governorship election.
The court had said it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition because it was a pre-election matter.
The court held that Uba ought to have prosecuted the forgery allegation against Sam Ode, the deputy governor at the high court.
It also held that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against Ode beyond reasonable doubt.
For Ebonyi State, the Court of Appeal Lagos, had affirmed the election of Francis Nwifuru as the duly elected governor of Ebonyi State.
In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel, led by Justice Jummai Sankey, dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The panel also resolved all five issues raised against the appellant and dismissed the appeal for lacking merit.
Justice Sankey, held that the PDP and its candidates lacked the legal right to meddle in the internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress as it relates to the nomination of candidates.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
