Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, appears to be claiming victory as the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna declared the Kaduna governorship election inconclusive.
Sani hailed the split tribunal judgment that sacked him, though he won on a technicality that PDP and its candidate filed their petition out of time. However, in the substantive suit, Sani lost.
The stage now looks set for a cross-appeal as both political parties – the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and their candidates will clim up to the Court of Appeal. If the appeal endorses the tribunal’s ruling on the technicality, Senator Sani remains governor; but if it prefers the ruling on the substantive suit, then a rerun will take place.
Said Sani on Channels Television’s Politics Today, “I was happy after the NEC meeting when I heard the news that the tribunal dismissed the PDP’s application against the election. Of course, I was not surprised because, throughout the tribunal sitting our lawyers were briefing me about what was happening.”
He called on “Mr Ashiru and the PDP members in Kaduna State to come and join hands with me. What is more important is moving our state forward. Like I said on the 29th of May when I was sworn in, the issue of politics is about governance and we have tried as much as possible to carry all along”.
Recall that a petition was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Isah Mohammed Ashiru against Uba Sani, and in a split decision of two to one, the three-man tribunal panel led by Justice Victor Oviawe directed that a supplementary election be held by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 90 days.
The rerun election is to be conducted election in seven wards, four local govts, 24 polling units consisting of 16,300 registered voters.
In a reaction to the tribunal’s judgment on his verified Facebook account, Ashiru wrote: “First, I give glory to God Almighty for the progress made so far in our effort to reclaim the mandate given to us by the good people of Kaduna State. I also thank the people of the state for widely believing in me and the PDP.
“Also, given the ruling of the Kaduna state election tribunal, it has become necessary to share with our teaming supporters, the true position of the ruling.
“The tribunal by a split decision of 2:1 accordingly, nullified the election of the governor of Kaduna state, ordered that the Certificate of Return be retrieved and fresh elections be conducted in some polling units in 4 LGAs and the outcome thereof be reckoned with before the declaration of the winner of the governorship election in Kaduna state.
“I want to again thank the people of the state while urging them all to remain law abiding while we pursue the appeal process
“One thing I can assure the good people of Kaduna state is that I will pursue this mandate you freely gave me to its logical conclusion and by the grace of God, victory on our side..”
The PDP and its candidate had argued that there were irregularities and electoral fraud and called for Ashiru to be declared winner.