Court Declares Zamfara Guber Election Inconclusive, Mandates Rerun in 3 LGAs

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, declared as inconclusive, the governorship election that held in Zamfara State on March 18. The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, nullified the return of Governor Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) as the winner of the gubernatorial contest. It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to conduct a fresh election in three Local Government Areas, LGAs, of the state. The court however, did not award any cost to the respondents.  The court agreed with All Progressive Congress APC candidate that elections did not hold previously or where results from various polling units were not counted in the three LGAs. In the lead judgement that was read by Justice Sybil Nwaka, the court held that it was wrong for INEC to rely on information it obtained from its IReV portal, to collate the final result of the governorship election. The judgement followed an appeal that was lodged before the court by the immediate past governor of the state, Bello Matawalle, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the election. More details later…

Appeal Court Sacks APC Reps Member Ilyasu Kwankwaso, Affirms Datti As New Winner

The Court of Appeal, Abuja division, on Monday sacked Musa Ilyasu Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a ruling delivered on Monday, the appeal court affirmed and reinstated Yusuf Umar Datti of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the rightful winner of the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency Election. The three-man panel led by Justice Tunde Oyebamiji Awotoye allowed an appeal by Yusuf Datti. Delivering its judgment, Justice Awotoye held that the tribunal was wrong to have counted the date of the appellant’s resignation on the date of his party’s primary election and that Section 77 of the Electoral Act was misapplied, saying no court has jurisdiction on the issue of membership of the party, report added. Earlier, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed Danjuma Goje’s victory as the senator representing the Gombe Central senatorial district. An appeal by the PDP candidate, Abubakar Aliyu, regarding the February 25 senatorial election was rejected by a three-member panel of judges at the appellate court. The Court of Appeal in Abuja has rendered a verdict in the case of the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency election in Kano State. The panel upheld the decision of the National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Gombe, which had previously dismissed Aliyu and the PDP’s petition against Goje and the APC.