Declare Abba winner of Kano guber poll, PDP tells tribunal

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday filed a petition before the Kano State Election Tribunal seeking to nullify the announcement of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as winner of the gubernatorial poll.

It also sought a declaration of its candidate in the election, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, as winner of the March 23, 2019 election, having secured the highest number of lawful votes cast.

Fielding I, 685-page prayers in six volumes of documents, the petitioner urged the court to declare Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s cancellation of results in Nassarawa Local Government Area unconstitutional.

“We are asking the Tribunal to declare that Abba K. Yusuf is the elected governor of Kano State, having secured majority of valid votes cast during the governorship election.

“We urge the court to declare that INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and the State Returning Officer lack the powers to cancel Nassarawa council results and as such, their decision was null and void and contravened the Constitution,” the petition reads.

The PDP also asked the Tribunal to set aside the declaration of Governor Ganduje as winner of the election and order the setting aside of the certificate of return issued to him by INEC, among other prayers.

A member of PDP legal team for the governorship tribunal, Bashir Mohammad, told journalists that with the opposition’s appeal, the law allows the respondents 22 days to file a counter petition, while the Tribunal has180 days to rule on the matter.

Responding to the petition, a counsel to Governor Ganduje in the election Tribunal, Musa A. Lawan, maintained that the All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team was ready to defend the governor.

Lawan, who stressed that APC lawyers would respond to PDP’s petition within the time frame allowed by law, insisted that facts and evidences available were enough to authenticate their substance at the Tribunal.

“We are aware of PDP’s petition and we are ready to defend the victory of Governor Ganduje, who clearly and convincingly won the March 23, 2019 rerun,” he said.