The Zamfara Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned sitting to July 19, after the former governor, Bello Mohammed Matawalle led 19 witnesses in his petition against Governor Dauda Lawal.
Matawalle, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) approached the tribunal challenging the emergence of Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The petitioner said the March 18, 2023 election was flawed with irregularities and sought the tribunal to declare him the winner of the said election having scored the majority of the lawful votes.
He prayed the tribunal to mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue him a new certificate of return and further orders necessary.
At the resumed hearing, the lead Petitioner’s Counsel, Mr Usman Sule, led the 19th witness, Dr Ahmad Kainuwa, who is the Returning Officer of Maradun local government area during the governorship election.
Kainuwa identified the result sheet he collated from the ward collation officers he supervised which was part of the exhibits in evidence and told the Tribunal that INEC asked him not to pronounce it but pronounced the result generated from the INEC server.
The witness said he presented his collated result to INEC and was different from that of the INEC server. However, INEC officials instructed him to present the one from the INEC server which they said is authentic.
He said there was tension during the collation exercise at Maradun, adding that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) mandated him to hasten the process as bandits were in transit to the area.
During cross-examination by the Respondent Counsel, Chief Solomon Akuma, Mr O.M. Atoyemi and Mr Wilson Tinger of Lawal, PDP, and INEC, the witness Kainuwa testified that different figures generated and identified the ones he produced during his ad-hoc exercise.
After a series of presentations, the chairperson of the tribunal, Justice Cordelia Ogadi, adjourned to July 19 for Lawal and PDP to open a defense.
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