By Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The Sokoto State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has granted the counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), an exparte order to allow the APC inspect the electoral materials used for the March 9, 2019 poll and March 23, 2019, rerun poll in the state.
The APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, had filed a petition at the Tribunal challenging the election of Governor Aminu Waziiri Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A member of the APC legal team in the state, Mr. Bashir Mu’azu Jodi, on behalf of the lead counsel, Izinyon (SAN), disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto Thursday shortly after the sitting of the tribunal.
Jodi said that the counsel has over 40 witnesses to present at the court when the hearing of the case commences, adding that there are cogent grounds upon which Tambuwal’s election is being challenged, mainly the tampering with the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, during the March 9, 2019 election, as well as the March 23, 2019, rerun gubernatorial poll.
The respondents are Tambuwal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and (PDP).
According to him, the respondents will later be served, while they have two weeks to reply, after which the court will fix a date for hearing.
Jodi explained that INEC would later be served with the order, while a date will be fixed for them to inspect the materials and where necessary take the certified true copies of some of them.
