Sokoto guber: Tribunal adjourns sitting to July 11

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Sokoto has adjourned its sitting to July 11 for continuation of hearing, as People Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate, Sa’idu Umar, presented witnesses in evidence.

Umar approached tribunal demanding the nullification of March 18, 2023 election that produced Gov. Ahmad Aliyu of All Progressive Congress (APC) and his Deputy, Idris Gobir as winners.

Among the witnesses subpoenaed in evidence that testified in the case included Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Head Teacher of Model Primary School, Sabon Birni, acting head of ICT of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Sokoto, Abubakar Usman and PDP polling agents during the election.

In a general remark at the resumed sitting on Thursday, the Tribunal Chairman, Justice Haruna Mshelia, urged people to respect public interests and the rule of law.

Mshelia made the remark while responding to PDP lead Counsel, Sunday Ameh SAN, plea where he prayed the Tribunal to take judicial notice of alleged threat to lives of some subpoenaed as petitioners’ witnesses.

Earlier, Ameh told the Tribunal that some of the subpoenaed witnesses arranged to testify before the Tribunal are allegedly being threatened which might jeopardize the processes.

The lead Respondents’ Counsel, Chief Jacob Ochidi SAN, argued that such statements should be submitted in writing while the APC lead Council, Hassan Liman SAN, said APC is a law-abiding party that sought the governorship position in the last four years.

At today’s sitting, Ameh presented the Head of Operations in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Sokoto, Abdulmumini Usman, as witness, who said he could not produce the complete requested document in evidence.

Ameh prayed to the court for more days to enable the witness produce the required documents, which after a series of presentations, by Ochidi and INEC lead Counsel, AbdulAziz Sani SAN, Justice Mshelia adjourned the case to July 11, for continued hearing.

In the petition, Umar and PDP alleged that the election was flawed arguing that the election did not comply with electoral laws.

The petitioner argued that at the time of the election Respondents were not qualified to contest the election and prayed that by virtue of the non-me qualification of the Respondents to contest the election, votes were wrongfully attributed to the Respondents in the said election and became unlawful or wasted votes, null and void.

He further prayed to Tribunal to mandate INEC to issue a new Certificate of Return to the Petitioner as the duly elected Governor of Sokoto State having scored the majority of the lawful votes cast or ordered for another election excluding the respondents.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE 

• Why Nigeria’s economy needs prayer — Primate Ayodele

• EXCLUSIVE: DSS recovers 18 bags of currency, documents from Emefiele’s Lagos residence

• Ladies should have between N5m to N10m before getting married — BBNaija’s Doyin

• Peter Obi still best candidate for better Nigeria — Obasanjo

• GWR: Chef Dammy plans to unseat Hilda Baci with 150-hour cook-a-thon

• TRANSFER NEWS: Chelsea agree deal for 21-year-old Senegalese striker