Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Appeal Court in Kaduna, yesterday, reaffirmed the election of Nasir El-Rufai as governor of Kaduna State.
The appellate court upheld the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal which ruled that El-Rufai, of the All Progressive Congress (APC) won the election as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ).
The tribunal had dismissed the petition of Isa Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging El-Rufai’s victory, for lacking in merit.
Ashiru had prayed the tribunal to cancel 515,951 votes, which they claimed were unlawfully added to El-Rufai, as well as 124,210 votes unlawfully added to the PDP, through wrong or double entry on result sheets by INEC.
The PDP candidate had appeal the ruling of the tribunal. However, a five-man panel of the Appeal Court, yesterday, in a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Olumuyiwa Aburu, upheld the tribunal ruling declaring El-Rufai as the dully elected.
Justice Olumuyiwa Aburu in his ruling aligned with the tribunal judgement that the PDP candidate could not prove his allegations of massive rigging and other electoral irregularities at the poll.
The Appeal Court also sacked Suleiman Lere of the APC, as member representing Lere federal constituency, and ruled that Muhammed Lawal Rabiu of the PDP won the election.