The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal led by Justice LB Awolabi today dismissed the petition filed by the candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), candidate, Salisu Yushau Abdullah against former majority leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa.
Delivering judgement on Monday against the reelection of Doguwa, the leading judge, Justice Owolabi, said the petitioner failed to prove his petition within legal reasonable doubt, and as such, he threw it away.
Justice Owolabi averred that all three grounds relied upon by the petitioner of corrupt practises allegedly perpetrated by Alhassan Doguwa, non-compliance with electoral law, and failure to have the needed lawful votes to win the election are baseless and could not be accepted as reasons to cancel the election.
Mr Doguwa who is representing Doguwa/Tudunwada Federal Constituency in Kano state was declared winner of the election in February 2023 by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).
On violence during elections, all the petitioner’s 21 witnesses testified that there was no violence during the elections, as against the testimony of the petitioner.
The court, in a unanimous decision, therefore, agreed that all 32 witnesses brought about by the petitioner could not concurrently give enough evidence that would truncate the election.
The presiding judge said while delivering judgement that he wondered how all the witnesses of the petitioner arrived at their various polling units at the same time and witnessed over-voting at all the units but could not recognise their results sheets. As such, he said their evidence could not stand.
“The petitioner in whole has failed to make any case capable of truncating the election of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, and as such, he is hereby returned duly elected by a majority of votes”.
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