Tribunal upholds el-Rufai’s victory

The Kaduna State Governorship  Election Petitions Tribunal on  Thursday  upheld the victory of Governor  Nasir  el-Rufai in the April 11 poll.

The  three-man tribunal, in its  six-hour  judgment, dismissed the petition of the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Polycap Danladi, challenging the declaration of el-Rufai as the winner of the governorship poll in the state.

Tribunal Chairman, Justice Adebayo Adebara, who read the judgment, dismissed the APGA’s flag bearer’s petition for lack of merit and affirmed El-Rufai, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, as the duly-elected candidate in the April election.

In reviewing the arguments of the counsel for the petitioner, Mr. Olumuyiwa Olowokure, and that of the lawyer for the respondent, Omokayode Dada, the tribunal chairman ruled that the petitioner failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt  that election was rigged in favour of the respondent.

The tribunal, however, nullified 150,000 votes from  the votes of the APC candidate and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party in wards and polling units in seven local government areas of Sanga, Kaura, Birnin, Giwa, Kauru , Kachia as well as Kagarko.

The tribunal said it annulled the votes in the areas because the exercise was marred by irregularities to favour the respondent.

Justice Adebara ruled that all evidence by the petitioner lacked merit and therefore dismissed the petition.

In his reaction to the judgment, Dada, counsel for El-Rufai, said  the judgment would enable the governor to be more focused in providing the people of the state the dividend of democracy.

Olowokure, who is the counsel for Danladi, the APGA candidate, said there was there a ground for appeal in the judgment, adding that he would have to consult with his client on the way forward.