Sokoto APC Wants Election Tribunal to Quash Order Granting PDP to Use Forensic Experts

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, and the party have filed an application before the 2019 Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Sokoto, seeking to quash some parts of the order it had earlier granted to Governor Aminu Tambuwal and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect electoral materials, especially the use of forensic experts.

The tribunal had earlier granted an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow Tambuwal and PDP to inspect the electoral materials used for the March 9 governorship election and the March 23 rerun poll.

In the order, INEC was directed to allow counsel to Tambuwal and PDP to undertake the inspection, especially the use forensic experts in doing so.

However, counsel to Aliyu Sokoto and APC led by Chief Jacob Ochidi, had at yesterday sitting of the tribunal filed a motion praying the court to quash some parts of the order, especially the use of forensic experts.

However, Ochidi had prayed the court to adjourn the hearing of the application, saying: “We will not be able to proceed with the hearing of the application as we were only served with the third respondent’s counter affidavit and written address late yesterday.

“As petitioners/applicants, we intend to file a counter affidavit and written address on the third respondent’s counter affidavit and written address and constitutionally, we have three days to do so from the date of the service of the counter affidavit of the third respondent.

The counsel to first, second and third respondents, D. G. Dung, Jibril Osa Uwadiae and Bunyamba Lawan respectively, said they have no objection and they have aligned themselves with the submissions of Ochidi.

Elaborating further, Abdulhamid Zubair, said they want parts of the order granted to Tambuwal and PDP quashed “because it is sundry and too wide.

“The tribunal has no powers to grant such an order, especially allowing the use of forensic experts.

“The tribunal has exceeded its powers and we want the court to grant us the order, hence quash that part of the order.”