- APC and its candidate, failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt
- The tribunal found the petition unproven and affirmed the election of Sen. Tambuwal as the duly elected Senator in the National Assembly
The Election Petitions Tribunal in Sokoto State on Wednesday upheld the victory of a former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal as the duly elected senator of Sokoto South Senatorial District.
The three-member panel led by Denis Echesi, in a unanimous judgement, dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Danbaba Danbuwa.
The tribunal held that the petitioners, APC and its candidate, failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, they were ordered to pay a fine of N200,000 to each of the respondents.
After the judgement, the respondent’s counsel, Suleiman Usman, a senior lawyer, said that the tribunal conducted a thorough examination of all the issues presented during the case.
“Ultimately, the tribunal found the evidence presented by the petitioners to be unreliable, often contradictory, and frequently based on hearsay, including the documents they submitted.
“The tribunal found the petition unproven and affirmed the election of Sen. Tambuwal as the duly elected Senator in the National Assembly,” he stated.
On the other hand, Chris Ndeoyiro, the counsel of the petitioners, said his clients will wait for a copy of the tribunal’s judgment to review its contents before deciding on their next course of action.
“The judgement itself is disappointing, similar to how the tribunal dismissed the petition.
“However, there are certain aspects of the judgment we find unsatisfactory.
“We’ll receive the copy of the judgment from the tribunal tomorrow, and after a thorough review, we’ll decide on our next steps,” he said.
The petitioner can still appeal the judgement at the Court of Appeal.