By Christiana Ekpa
The Election Petition Tribunal in Sokoto State on yesterday 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.
In the judgment, the panel 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.
Respondent’s Counsel, Dr. Suleiman Usman, SAN, after the judgment 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.
Chris Ndeoyiro, Counsel to the petitioners, said his clients will wait for a copy of the tribunal’s judgment to review its contents and determine their next course of action.
He said: “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.”
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