It has been reported that the Governorship and National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Sokoto State on Thursday granted All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate, Ahmad Aliyu, leave to inspect used election materials.
It also ordered that Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, be served the court processes through substituted means. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Abbas Bawale, granted the prayers made by the petitioner’s Counsel, Mr Steve Nwoke, noting that the tribunal had carefully perused the exparte applications.
Bawale granted the petitioners leave to physically inspect materials used by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on the conduct of governorship election and re-run election, photocopy documents, as well as obtain true certified copies. He further granted the petitioners leave to serve Tambuwal through substituted means as prayed along with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legal adviser, Mr Muktar Yabo.
Meanwhile, Justice Bawale also granted Tambuwal and his party leave to invite forensic experts to conduct physical inspection of materials used for the elections and obtain true certified copies of documents. He further granted respondents’ prayers moved by their Counsel, Mr Muktar Yabo, on relying on the outcome of physical inspection, statistics by forensic experts in respect of the elections.
The main governorship election held on March 9 was declared inconclusive following cancellation of 75, 403 votes which were higher than the 3, 413 votes margin between the leading candidates. The re-run was conducted on March 23, and Tambuwal won with a slim margin of 342 votes.
Unsatisfied with the outcome, Aliyu approached the tribunal challenging the return of Tambuwal as the governor-elect, on the grounds that the election was marred with irregularities.
Recall that the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal released a series of revelation that has left the opposition wondering. He called on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the state to give him the necessary support to move the state forward. Tambuwal who was re-elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party called on members of other
political parties not to abhor violence but join in the plans by his administration to move the state forward.
In a statement by senior Special Assistant on Special Duties, Yusuf Dingiadi, on Sunday in Kaduna, Tambuwal said that the March 9 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections were won and lost, “it is time to move on.“ After the supplementary elections in parts of the state, INEC had declared Gov Tambuwal of the PDP, winner with a slim margin of 341 votes.
Tambuwal scored 512,002 votes, while his main challenger, Ahmed Aliyu of the APC, got 511,661 votes in the Governorship race. Tambuwal, however, said that, while his doors remain open for all to join the PDP-led-government in steering the affairs of state, his administration would not condone any form of post-election violence in any part of the state. He urged aggrieved political parties and persons not to resort to violence, but should approach the Election Petition Tribunal to peacefully seek redress in accordance with the law.
Source: Today.ng/Silverbird TV
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