By Haruna Ibrahim
The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday upheld the election of Gov. Nasir Idris as duly elected Governor of Kebbi.
The panel of judges comprised Justice Ofem Ofem, Justice Dauraba Suleiman-Sikkom and Justice Celestina Dafe.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Gen. Aminu Bande, had filed a joint suit challenging the election of Idris as governor in the March 15 election and April 18 rerun.
INEC is the first respondent; Gov. Nasir Idris, second respondent; Deputy Gov., Abubakar Umar-Tafida, third respondent and APC is the fourth respondent.
The petitioners alleged that the deputy governor had submitted a fake secondary school testimonial to INEC, over voting and ineligibility of the governor to contest.
Delivering the judgment, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ofem Ofem, held that the petitions were lacking in merit to warrant cancellation of the election.
Taking the allegations one after the other, Ofem said the petitioners failed to prove beyond doubt that the third respondent presented a fake certificate to INEC, adding that the testimonial in question was duly signed and issued to him by the then principal of Sultan Abubakar College, Sokoto in 1982 as attested by the authorities concerned.
He, however, said testimonial was in no way an academic qualification but a certificate of attendance, while quoting section 177 of Electoral Act that provided minimum qualification for governor and deputy governor.
The tribunal chairman described the evidences presented by the petitioners as “iron cast evidences” saying, “we state categorically that the third respondent did not forge certificate”.
On over voting, Ofem said of the 59 polling units being questioned, irregularities were discovered in nine polling units, resulting in deduction of 1,735 votes from APC while over 900 votes were deducted from PDP.
He, however, said the deduction of the votes would not affect the merging between the winner of the election and the runner up.
The chairman added that in other polling units, there were no substantial evidence to prove over voting and irregularities, assuring that their votes stood.
Ofem further maintained that the petitioners had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the governor did not retire from state civil service one month before contesting the March 2023 governorship election.
He, therefore, declared that “Gov. Nasir Idris is duly elected and returned as Governor of Kebbi State in the March governorship election held across the state”.
Commenting on the judgment shortly after the sitting, counsel to the petitioners, Nura Bello, said they would go back and study the judgment and take a stand.
On his side, Lead Counsel to the fourth respondent, APC, Abdullahi Yahaya, SAN, expressed satisfaction with the stand of the panel of judges, describing it as a standard judicial process.
Meanwhile, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, Kebbi State Commissioner of Information and Culture, has said that Gov. Nasir Idris victory at the election petition tribunal was a triumph for democracy and rule of law.
Ahmed stated this while briefing newsmen shortly after the tribunal judgement in Birnin Kebbi.
He said, “As we all know, the four months old litigation filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the election of Gov. Idris as governor of the state came to an end today with victory, as widely expected tilting to the side of our governor and APC.
“After this litigation, the rule of law has prevailed, sign posting a victory for democracy, people of the state, and principles that guide our electoral process.”
Ahmed added that the victory underscores the resilience of the democratic institutions and the commitment of people of the state to upholding the rule of law.
“The government acknowledged the valuable time and energy expended during this legal process and commend all parties involved for their commitment to a fair and transparent resolution.
“In the spirit of unity and belief in the greater good for Kebbi, government wishes to extend an olive branch to the PDP and its governorship candidate, and as well encourage them to see this process the way it has come.
“The conclusion of it all is that its a sign that the people have again spoken as encapsulated by the judgment of the tribunal,”he said.
Ahmed called on the PDP to gracefully concede defeat, having come that far, having fought that good and in the end acknowledging the clarity of the legal outcome.
“The government is committed to fostering a spirit of unity, cooperation, and development for the benefit of every citizen.
“We believe that by working together, transcending political affiliations, we can overcome challenges and collectively build a brighter future for the state,”the commissioner said.