Isa Mohammed Ashiru, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) gubernatorial candidate for Kaduna State in the most recent election, expressed satisfaction with the tribunal’s decision.
According to Foxiz Nigeria, the tribunal made a decision on a challenge submitted to them by the PDP and its candidate contesting the election of Uba Sani.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate in the election, however, stated that the court dismissed Isa’s plea, which has cast doubt on the tribunal’s decision.
In related news, some reports stated that the tribunal terminated the governor while deeming the election inconclusive, while other reports stated that the tribunal validated Sani’s election after rejecting the PDP‘s plea and its candidate, Ashiru.
Isa told his followers in a statement he personally signed on Thursday night that the court had ousted the current governor, but that it would take effect at the appeals court in order to implement the decision.
“The preliminary objection, the tribunal, based on the majority of 2:1 judges upheld the preliminary objection of the respondent to the effect that the application for pre-hearing was done prematurely, i.e. before the service of the last set of petitioners’ reply to the 2nd respondent’s reply to the petition,” he said.
“However, the law requires the tribunal, as a trial court, to move forward and make a decision regarding the merits of the substantive suit so that, in the event the court of appeal finds that the trial tribunal erred in its decision regarding the preliminary objection, it would have the advantage of making a decision regarding the decision of the tribunal in the substantive matter.
In light of this, the trial panel decides that the petitioner’s claim about the difference in victory margins between the two front-runners has substance.
Accordingly, “the tribunal by a split decision of 2:1 nullified the election of the governor of Kaduna state, ordered the retrieval of the Certificate of Return, and ordered that new elections be held in some polling units in 4 LGAs, with the results being taken into account before the winner of the governorship election in Kaduna state was declared.”
The PDP candidate thanked the residents of the State for their up to date support and urged everyone to continue to uphold the law while the investigation continues.
The good people of Kaduna State may count on him to take the mandate they freely granted him to its logical end and, by God’s blessing, bring victory to their side, he said.
