The Zamfara Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Sokoto has adjourned sitting to July 19, after Gov. Bello Matawalle leads 19 witnesses to prove his petition against Gov. Dauda Lawal.
Vanguard report that, Matawalle the immediate past governor of Zamfara state and candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) approached the Tribunal challenging the returned of Gov. Dauda Lawal of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Petitioner said the March 18, 2023 election was flawed with irregularities and sought the Tribunal to declared winners of the said election having scored the majority of the lawful votes.
He asked the tribunal to direct INEC to grant him a new certificate of return and any other relevant directives.
Vanguard report that, Dr. Ahmad Kainuwa, the 19th witness at the resumed hearing and the returning officer for the Maradun local government area during the governorship election, was led by the lead petitioner’s attorney, Mr. Usman Sule SAN.
Kainuwa showed the Tribunal the result sheet he compiled from the ward collation officers he oversaw and said that INEC had directed him not to say it but to pronounce the result produced from the INEC server instead.
The witness claimed that when he presented his collated results to INEC, they differed from those on the INEC server. The one from the INEC server, which they claimed to be real, must be presented instead, according to INEC authorities.
According to him, there was tension during the Maradun collation exercise, and the Divisional Police Officer had instructed him to go quickly because bandits were headed that way.
The witness Kainuwa testified that various figures generated and identified the ones he provided during his ad hoc exercise under cross questioning by the Respondense Counsel, Chief Solomon Akuma SAN, Mr. O.M. Atoyemi SAN, and Mr. Wilson Tinger of Lawal, PDP, and INEC.
After the series of presentations, Justice Cordelia Ogadi, the tribunal’s chairperson, called a break until 19 July so that Lawal and PDP could begin their defence.
Lukundu (
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