The three-member tribunal panel, led by Justice Denis Echesi, delivered a unanimous ruling, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The Election Petition Tribunal in Sokoto State has upheld the election of former Governor Aminu Tambuwal as the duly elected Senator representing Sokoto South Senatorial District.
The three-member tribunal panel, led by Justice Denis Echesi, delivered a unanimous ruling, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
In the judgment, the panel dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Abdullahi Danbaba.
Danbaba had filed a petition challenging the victory of Tambuwal, saying it did not comply substantially with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
However, the tribunal held that the APC and Danbaba failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. The tribunal consequently ordered them to pay a fine of N200,000 to the first and second respondents – Peoples Democratic Party and Tambuwal.
After the judgment, the respondent’s counsel, Dr. Suleiman Usman (SAN) 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 for the petitioners said his clients would wait for a copy of the tribunal’s judgment to review its content and determine their next course of action.
“The judgment 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 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Tambuwal the winner of the election, saying he secured 100,860 votes to beat Senator Danbaba of the APC, who polled 95,884 votes.