September 28, (THEWILL) – The Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed the victory of Governor Uba Sani in the March 18 gubernatorial election in the State.
A three-member panel of Justices, led by Victor Oviawie, in a virtual judgment delivered via Zoom on Thursday, declared Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Kaduna State.
The judgement followed ruling in a petition brought before the Tribunal by Mohammed Ashiru, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had, in March, declared Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the gubernatorial poll after he polled 730,002 votes to beat his closest rival, Isa-Ashiru, who scored 719,196 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, the PDP and Ashiru had, in a joint petition marked EPT/KD/Gov/4/23, among other prayers, urged the tribunal to nullify the victory of the APC in the March 18 poll over alleged irregularities, non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
Delivering its judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of Justices, in a dissenting judgment of two against one, dismissed the PDP petition on the ground that the pre-hearing notice was filed out of time and therefore, deemed to be abandoned.
However, the tribunal noted that if the petition had not been dismissed for lack of merit, it would have ordered a supplementary election in 22 polling units within 90 days of the substantive judgement.
Meanwhile, Uba Sani said he was humbled by the verdict even as he praised his opponent, Isah Ashiru, for venting his grievances through the laid down channel.
In a statement personally signed by the Governor, Sani said: “I am extremely delighted and humbled by the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal affirming my victory in the 2023 Kaduna State Governorship Elections. The judgement is an unequivocal affirmation of the popular mandate graciously given to me by the good people of Kaduna State. I commend the Tribunal for their thoroughness and lucidity. They have enriched our jurisprudence and practice of electoral democracy.
“I also commend my dear brother, Hon. Isah Ashiru Kudan, for approaching the Tribunal to ventilate his grievances. This is a clear demonstration of his belief in the principles of democracy and the imperative of civility in the conduct of political actors.
“I call on Hon. Isah Ashiru and members of the opposition parties in Kaduna State to join hands with us as we strive to move our dear State to a higher level. We are all stakeholders in PROJECT KADUNA. It is not about personal glory. Our people want all hands to be on deck to address the myriad challenges confronting the State. If political actors are united, a clear signal will be sent to our people that the quest for peace, security, progress and development of our State are the driving forces of our participation in politics.
“I call on our party faithful to moderate their celebration of this victory. They must individually and collectively extend an olive branch to our brothers and sisters in other political parties. Instead of celebrating, we should bow down in prayers to the Almighty God for His continued guidance and protection. Let us focus on the tasks ahead.”
