Tribunal upholds election of Uba Sani as Kaduna governor

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Kaduna Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Thursday upheld the election of Senator Uba Sani as Kaduna State Governor.

Isah Mohammed Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had challenged the victory of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the State.

The three-man panel led by Justice Victor Oviawe delivered judgement via Zoom on Thursday.

The three-man panel, in a split decision struck out the petition because the pre-hearing notice was filed out of time, after the seven days prescribed by the constitution, and was deemed to have been abandoned.

Giving a split judgment, Justice Oviawie said the pre-hearing notice was filed outside the seven days prescribed by the constitution from the day when the main case was filed.

He added that the petition was deemed to have been abandoned and this judgment was also supported by Justice N. Nonye.

But Justice K. Damlat saw it in a different view. In his own verdict, the pre-hearing notice was properly filed and was not abandoned.

However, the tribunal noted that if the petition had not been dismissed for lack of merit, it would have ordered a supplementary election in 22 polling units within 90 days in the substantive judgement.

Reacting to the judgment, Governor Sani said he was extremely delighted and humbled by the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal affirming his victory in the 2023 Kaduna State Governorship Elections.

“The judgement is an unequivocal affirmation of the popular mandate graciously given to me by the good people of Kaduna State. I commend the Tribunal for their thoroughness and lucidity. They have enriched our jurisprudence and practice of electoral democracy.

“I also commend my dear brother, Hon. Isah Ashiru Kudan for approaching the Tribunal to ventilate his grievances. This is a clear demonstration of his belief in the principles of democracy and the imperative of civility in the conduct of political actors.

“I call on Hon. Isah Ashiru and members of the opposition parties in Kaduna State to join hands with us as we strive to move our dear state to a higher level. We are all stakeholders in Project Kaduna. It is not about personal glory. Our people want all hands to be on deck to address the myriad challenges confronting the state,” he said.

Sani stated that if political actors are united, a clear signal would be sent to the people that the quest for peace, security, progress and development of the state are the driving forces of participation in politics.

“I call on our party faithful to moderate their celebration of this victory. They must individually and collectively extend an olive branch to our brothers and sisters in other political parties.

“Instead of celebrating, we should bow down in prayers to the Almighty God for His continued guidance and protection. Let us focus on the tasks ahead,” he said.