THE Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Sokoto has confirmed Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the state’s governor.
The tribunal ruled that the appeal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bello Matawalle, challenging the results of the March 18 governorship election was without merit.
Matawalle, the petitioner, was also fined N500,000.
According to the chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Cordelia Ogadi, who read the judgment, the petitioner did not prove his allegations of wrongful collation of election results, exclusion of results for the Maradun Local Government Area (LGA), and the election not being held in some wards in the state.
In its four-hour decision, the tribunal also stated that the petitioner failed to show his claim of non-compliance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the Electoral Act and a corrupt manner of conducting the election.
The panel’s three justices, Justice Cordelia Ogadi, Justice Bello Hassan, and Justice Aliyu Gegele, were united in their decision.
The lead counsel for the first respondent, Governor Lawal, Solomon Akunna (SAN), celebrated the verdict as well-considered, adding that the logic was flawless and the legal analysis could not be questioned.
In addition, INEC’s main attorney, Ishaka Dikko, stated that the Commission did not expect anything less than the tribunal’s decision, claiming that it conducted credible polls.
Usman Sure (SAN), the petitioner’s lead counsel, said their client would give them more instructions on appealing the tribunal’s ruling since he believes the election results robbed them.
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