The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru, has insisted that the election tribunal in the state annulled the election of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But he says he is appealing the judgment because he wants to be declared as the winner of the election.
Countering Governor Sani who maintained that his election was upheld by the tribunal on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Ashiru said the election was annulled and that the panel ordered a supplementary election to be held in four local governments in the state within 90 days.
“The truth of the matter is that the election was annulled. The tribunal directed INEC to conduct an election within 90 days. Unfortunately, he (Sani) reported that his election was upheld, we will see within the next two or three weeks whether he will go on appeal or not.
“Whoever said his election was upheld I don’t think there is any need for him to go for appeal. But for sure we are going on appeal, I have met with my legal team and we have taken that decision in consultation with my party and senior stakeholders,” Ashiru said.
On why he is appealing the judgment despite insisting that the judgment of the tribunal went against the Governor, the PDP candidate said he is appealing because he expected the tribunal to rightly declare him the winner of the March 18 election in the state.
“What we expected was that the tribunal would give us judgment based on available facts that we tendered. The truth of the matter is that we won that election hands down but the powers that be did what they did to rob us of the victory.
“But we are grateful to God Almighty that yesterday the court confirmed that Uba Sani was not the rightful owner of that sit that is why they exactly directed INEC to withdraw his certificate and conduct a rerun so that the true elected governor will be announced after the rerun election.
“But for sure, with what we have seen and documents available to us we are appealing for the right thing to be done, that is declaring Right Honourable Isa Mohammed Ashiru the duly elected governor of the state,” Ashiru said.
Following the passing of judgment by the Kaduna tribunal on Thursday, some media reports had claimed that Governor Sani’s election was annulled which is in line with Ashiru’s position creating some sorts of confusion, concerning the declaration of the panel.
But during his appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Thursday, Governor Sani insisted that there is nothing confusing about the judgment.
“I think there’s no confusion there. Like I said, for some of us who were involved in the draft of the Electoral Act, there’s nothing like confusion there,” Sani said.
“The case was dismissed because it lacked merit. The preliminary objection to the application was made out of time. And of course, if you look at the Electoral Act, that alone has made their case abandoned. That is on the point of law. There are a lot of cases like that.”
Credit: Channels Television
