Kaduna Tribunal throws out APC’s objection against PDP in governorship petition  

 

 

 

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has dismissed the second preliminary objection filed by Governor Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the March 18 election, Isa Ashiru.

 

The tribunal, which is currently reading judgement of the case filed by the PDP against the declaration of Uba Sani as winner of the election, threw out the APC’s preliminary objection that the petitioners abandoned their petition.

 

The Tribunal is delving into determining the main petition.

 

The PDP is challenging the election of Uba Sani as the Governor of Kaduna State on the grounds of alleged irregularities and electoral fraud, saying that its Candidate (Isa Mohammed Ashiru) won the election.

 

 

During the hearing of the petition, the PDP and Ashiru called 24 witnesses and presented claims and documents to prove their case.

 

 

However, at the close of hearing, all the parties presented their final written addresses before the Tribunal, with APC’s Uba Sani saying that the petitioners unwittingly helped in proving that, he won the March 18 governorship election, in the course of challenging his victory.

 

Uba Sani’s legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN, argued that, the petitioners had helped in proving he won the poll fair and square, pointing in particular to the admission of a star witness for the petitioner, Bonett Gwazah, a senior system analyst (SSA) in the VR/ICT Department of INEC in Kaduna State.

 

In their final address, the PDP and Ashiru argued that two conflicting election results emerged from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship election in the state.

 

 

Ashiru through his lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN argued that INEC is responsible for the manipulation of election results.

 

He equally alleged over voting and abuse of electoral processes and therefore asked for the reversal of the INEC declaration that produced Governor Uba Sani.