Kaduna Tribunal delivers six judgments, eight petitions pending ― Secretary

The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Kaduna on Saturday said it has so far delivered judgments on six out of the 14 petitions filed before it.

Mrs. Hafsat Suleiman, Secretary to the Tribunal disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) shortly after the tribunal dismissed a petition brought before it by Mr. Benjamin Faing for lacking in merit.

The 14 petitions are challenging various decisions by INEC in the February 23 and March 9 polls in the state.

Suleiman told NAN that the tribunal had concluded the three petitions challenging INEC’s decision on two senatorial elections petitions against the election of Sen. Uba Sani of APC in the Kaduna Central Senatorial District.

She said the tribunal had also concluded the petition filed against INEC’s return of the Sen. Danjuma La’ah of the PDP in the Kaduna South senatorial district poll.

The petition against Sen. La’ah was brought by Mr. Barnabas Bala Bantex, the former Deputy Governor of the state and candidate of the APC.

She said that the tribunal had equally concluded the petition filed by Dr. Ishaya Sarki Habu of the APC challenging the election of Garba Shehu Nicolas of the PDP in the Sanga/Jema’a Federal Constituency.

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Suleiman said further that the tribunal had delivered judgment on the petition filed by Mr. Aso Nehemiah Sunday of the APC, challenging the return of Gwani Gideon Lucas of the PDP for the Kaura Federal Constituency seat.

She said that the judgment for Jaba State Constituency brought to six, petitions so far concluded, while judgments on eight petitions comprising one Federal Constituency and seven House of Assembly petitions were still pending.

Faing, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had filed a petition challenging INEC’s declaration of Mr. Monday Diko of PDP winner of the March 9 State House of Assembly poll for Jaba Constituency.

The petitioner had alleged that the winner did not score majority valid votes in the March 9 poll.

He urged the Justice Adamu Suleiman-led tribunal to declare him and his party, APC, winner of the poll.

However, the tribunal, in its ruling, said the petitioner and his party did not provide convincing evidence for it to overturn the declaration of the PDP candidate as the winner by INEC.

The tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit and upheld INEC’s declaration and return of Diko of the PDP as a duly elected member representing Jaba Constituency in the House of Assembly and adjourned sitting till September 3.