Wamakko Wants Tribunal to Strike out Petition against His Election

Wamakko Wants Tribunal to Strike out Petition against His Election

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

Senator Aliyu Wamakko has urged the national and states assemblies Election Petitions Tribunal in Sokoto to strike out the petition filed by the candidate of People Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 Sokoto North senatorial district election, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Maccido, ‘as it was filed out of the required constitutional time.’

Maccido has filed a petition before the tribunal challenging the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Wamakko, as the winner of the poll declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The lead counsel for the first respondent (Wamakko), Dr. Hassan Liman SAN, has however in an application prayed the court to strike out the said petition filed by Maccido.

Liman further submitted that the petition was filed out of time and that it contravenes the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

According to him, “Section 285, sub section 5 of the constitution requires such petitions to be filed 21 days after the date of the declaration of the results of the election.

“The petitioner filed the petition on March 18, 2019, which is clearly outside the 21 days required by the law.

“We have therefore urged the tribunal to strike out the petition, no matter how good it is. Wamakko has won his election validly in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.”

Both the lead counsel of the second respondent (APC), Chief Jacob Ochidi, and that of the third respondent (INEC), Henry Eni-Otu, aligned themselves with the submissions of Liman, and urged the court to strike out the petition.

Lead counsel for Maccido, Ibrahim Abdullahi, had argued that the petition was filed within the stipulated time.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice Peter Akhimie Akhihiero, adjourned the pre-hearing session to May, 10, 2019, for continuation.

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