The Benue State Local Government Election Appeal Tribunal, sitting at the Nigerian Bar Association House in Abuja, has dismissed six appeals challenging earlier decisions of the election petition tribunal.

In a judgment delivered on Thursday by the three-member panel headed by Honorable Justice Igyuse, the tribunal upheld the integrity of the trial tribunal's previous rulings.

The panel provided detailed reasoning for their decision, emphasizing that the appellants failed to establish a crucial element regarding valid nomination and unlawful exclusion from participating in the local government elections by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC).

According to the tribunal, the interim order and judgment of the Benue State High Court that the appellants relied upon had no bearing on the subject matter of their petition. The panel clarified that the judgment did not grant the petitioners candidacy rights necessary to receive the reliefs sought in their appeals.

The tribunal further emphasized that political party leadership matters are internal affairs beyond the jurisdiction of courts or tribunals. They noted that candidate nominations fall within the domestic affairs of political parties and are not subject to tribunal deliberation.

"This is a case of two factions within the same political party engaged in a struggle, yet APC was not included as a party to clarify who its candidate is," the panel stated. "It is universally understood that no responsible party will present two candidates for the same election."

The tribunal pointed out that the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not register any complaints during the proceedings and was not joined as a party to clarify its official candidate. This failure to include the APC in the appeal process, which would have established the legitimate candidate, proved detrimental to the petitioners' case.

In a related development, the appeal tribunal also dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party candidate in Kwande Local Government, Honorable Tor-Adza Tertsea, against the executive chairman of Kwande Local Government, Honorable Vitalis Neji, citing lack of merit.

Reacting to the judgments, the Honorable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Chief Fidelis Mnyim, along with the Executive Chairman of Guma local government and ALGON Chairman, Orwough Maurice, described the rulings as a victory for democracy.