APC Wants Tribunal to Quash Order Granted Sokoto Gov on Electoral Materials

APC Wants Tribunal to Quash Order Granted Sokoto Gov on Electoral Materials

By Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded general election in Sokoto State, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, and the party have filed an application before the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Sokoto, seeking to quash some part of the order it had earlier granted Governor Aminu Waziiri 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, 2019 governorship election and the March 23, 2019 rerun poll.

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

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

However Ochidi had prayed the tribunal 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 have aligned themselves to the submissions of Ochidi.

Expatiating further, Mr Abdulhamid Zubair said they want part 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,” Zubair said.

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