Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Sokoto State chapter, and its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, have filed a petition at the 2019 Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, challenging the election of Governor Aminu, Waziiri Tambuwal, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
A member of the APC legal team in the state, Barrister Bashir, Mu’azu Jodi, disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto, on Thursday, shortly after the sitting of the tribunal. He made the disclosure on behalf of the lead counsel, Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN).
Jodi said the counsels had over 40 witnesses to present in court when the hearing of the case commences.
Barrister Jodi added that there were many cogent grounds upon which the election of Governor Tambuwal was being challenged. Among the issues were trampling of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, during the March 9, 2019, gubernatorial election, as well as the March 23, 2019, gubernatorial rerun.
The respondents are Governor Tambuwal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the PDP.
According to him, the respondents would later be served, while they had two weeks to reply, after which the court would fix a date for the hearing.
Meanwhile, the court has granted an ex parte order, to allow the APC counsels to inspect the electoral materials used for the two polls.
The materials include various forms, ballot papers and card reader machines among others. This was a sequel to the filing of a motion ex parte by the APC counsels.
Jodi explained that INEC would later be served with the order, while a date would be fixed for them to inspect the materials and where necessary take the certified true copies of some of the materials.