The Elections Petition Tribunal in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, has confirmed receipt of 19 petitions from aggrieved candidates of various political parties who participated in the recently concluded general elections.

Secretary of the tribunal, Adejoke Okedara, told our correspondent yesterday that 18 of the petitions were filed by dissatisfied legislative candidates while only one was received from a governorship candidate.

Adejoke disclosed that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had filed a petition challenging the election of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The tribunal secretary said the panel was however yet to commence sitting over the petitions so far received.

It would be recalled that Governor Samuel Ortom had withdrawn his case at the tribunal where he was challenging the declaration of the APC candidate, Titus Zam, instead of himself as the winner of the Benue North West senatorial poll.

Ortom had rejected the senatorial result which produced his former Special Adviser on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Zam, and filed a petition at the tribunal.