Tribunal Declares Kaduna Governorship Poll Inconclusive, Orders Re-Run In 22 Polling Units

Kaduna state governorship poll petitions tribunal has declared the state’s governorship poll inconclusive.

Two of the three member panel upheld the election of Governor Sani Uba, while the third objected.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Victor Owawe in the lead judgement, declared the poll inconclusive, while ruling in a petition filed by the PDP candidate, Isah Ashiru to challenge the election of Governor Sani of the APC in the disputed poll.

Justice Owawe declaring majority decision, ordered the re-run of the poll in 22 polling units in seven wards in four local government areas.

The tribunal ruled that the re-run poll, which would involve 16,300 registered voters, should be conducted within 90 days, by the Independent National Electoral Commssion (INEC).

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“The tribunal said had it been the petition was not dismissed, its decision would be that INEC ought not to have declared winner for the elections until after conducting elections in 22 polling units that were cancelled because the number of voters there was 16000 while the margin between APC and PDP is 11000.

“But despite this finding, the tribunal had already dismissed the PDP petition. So Uba Sani’s election is upheld.”

In his reaction, Mohammed Baba Lawal, one of the counsels of the PDP, said, “What actually happened was that APC raised an objection about our petition that we filed out of time. But the position of the Electoral Act is that the tribunal must go into the knitty gritty.

“Now they found that there was the need for rerun in 22 polling units in four LGAs.

“We cannot activate that as inconclusive unless we appeal against that decision that declared our petition abandoned.

“The final decision of the court has two arms, that is what confused people.

“One declared our petition as abandoned, the second decision declared the election inconclusive but, that inconclusive decision cannot be activated unless the decision declaring the petition abandoned is appealed against and set aside.

“So technically the tribunal declared the petition abandoned and dismissed it. “