…files petition against Ganduje
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday filed a petition before the Election Tribunal sitting in Kano seeking the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as winner of gubernatorial poll as null and void. The party also sought the tribunal to declare the PDP candidate in the election, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, winner of the 9th April, 2019 poll, having secured lawful votes.
In the prayers of the opposition party contained in the 6 volume documents spread in 1,685 pages, the petitioner urged the court to declare the action of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the contentious Nassarawa local government results unlawful and against the spirit of the constitution. According to the petition: ” We are seeking the Tribunal to declare that Abba K. Yusuf is the elected governor of Kano State, having secured the majority of the lawful votes cast during the 9th April governorship election. “We also urge the court to declare that the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Kano office of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the State Returning Officer at the 9th April election lacked the power to cancel the result of Nassarawa Local Government Area and their decision was null and void and in contravention with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That, by the provision of section 179 of the 1999 constitution, what is required for candidate is to secure the lawful majority of vote and at least two third from each of the local government area of the state which Abba K. Yusuf has fully satisfied all these requirement during the 9th April election and therefore should be declared the winner of the election”.
The petitioner equally asked the Tribunal to ” set aside the declaration and return of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as winner of the election and as well order setting aside the certificate of return issued to him by INEC”, among other prayers. A member of PDP legal team for the governorship tribunal, Barrister Bashir Mohammad, told journalists that with the launch of the opposition’s appeal, the law allows the respondent 22 days to file counter petition, within which the tribunal possesses 180 days to rule. Responding to the petition, one of the lawyers of Ganduje in the election Tribunal, Barrister Musa A. Lawan, maintained that the legal team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was ready to defend the victory of the governor.
