Kebbi Gov. Woos Opponents as Tribunal Upholds his Victory

Kebbi gov. woos opponents as tribunal upholds his victory

By Yusufa Auwal, Kebbi

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Birnin Kebbi has upheld the election of Governor Nasir Idris.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Gen. Aminu Bande (retd) had filed a joint suit challenging the election of Idris.

They alleged that the deputy governor had submitted a fake secondary school testimonial to INEC, over-voting and ineligibility of the governor to contest.

The panel of judges comprised Justice Ofem Ofem, Justice Dauraba Suleiman-Sikkom and Justice Celestina Dafe.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Ofem, chairman of the tribunal, 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 “Governor Nasir Idris is duly elected and returned as governor of Kebbi State in the March governorship election held across the state”.

Meanwhile, Governor Idris has invited the opposition party, PDP, to join him to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state as the period of election was over.

“Dissipating more energy, time and resources in prolonged legal battles, when the path forward is already clear, risks dragging the state backward and hindering our shared goal of progress and development. Kebbi State has long battled against underdevelopment, and it is imperative that all hands are on deck to propel it forward especially now that all indices are looking pretty good.”

He added that government was 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 Kebbi State. We appreciate the resilience of our democratic processes, the patience of our citizens, and the dedication of all stakeholders throughout this legal journey,” he said.