The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the election of Uba Sani as the governor of Kaduna State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru.
The three-member panel of justices unanimously ruled that the tribunal had erred in depending on inadmissible evidence to order the conduct of supplementary polls in 22 polling units across four local government areas, deeming the election inconclusive.
The appellate court held that the key witness presented by the PDP during the tribunal hearing had given hearsay evidence and was not present when the alleged malpractices occurred.
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Issuance of a pre-hearing information sheet
The court also stated that the petitioners had abandoned their petition by failing to apply for the issuance of a pre-hearing information sheet after the close of pleadings, as required by the Electoral Act 2022.
Furthermore, the Court of Appeal set aside the previous judgment of the election petition tribunal, declaring the last governorship election in Kaduna State inconclusive.
The court held that the election was conclusive and won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Uba Sani, emphasizing that there was no basis for the tribunal’s order to conduct a supplementary election in 22 polling units across seven wards in four local government areas in Kaduna State.
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NNPP to appeal Governorship Election Petition Tribunal ruling in Kano State
Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Bashir Yusuf Muhammad Tudun Wada, has announced that the party will appeal the recent ruling of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The tribunal had nullified the victory of NNPP’s candidate, Abba Yusuf, and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 election.
Shortly after the tribunal’s judgment was delivered, Tudun Wada addressed the media, expressing the party’s intention to challenge the ruling.
