PDP tenders 241 exhibits against Ganduje at tribunal

Abba Kabir-Yusuf, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 23 Governorship election in Kano State, on Monday, tendered 241 exhibits before the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Kabir-Yusuf and his party, the PDP, are challenging the declaration of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election.

Named as respondents in the petition are Ganduje, APC and INEC.

The petitioners’ Counsel, Mr Adeboyega Owomolo, SAN, who tendered the exhibits before the tribunal, said his team hoped to bring additional exhibits to prove their case.

Owomolo told the court that amongn the exhibits were certified true copies of results sheets from polling units contained in form EC8As, EC8Bs from Albasu, Bebeji, Bichi, Danbatta, Garun Malam, Gwarzo, Karaye, Kura, Madobi, Nasarawa, Rano, Rogo, Sumaila, Tudun Wada and Warawa Local Government Areas of the state among others.

Counsel to the respondents, Mr Offiong Offiong, and Ahmad Raji, both SANs, had opposed tendering of the exhibits.

Offiong told the court that the petitioners had brought to court bags and not certified copies of the election results.

“The petitioners did not make the documents available for us to see, they only brought out bags, I am only concerned with the content,” he said.

However, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Halima Shamaki, dismissed the objection and accepted the documents as exhibits and adjourned sitting to July 23, for the continuation of hearing.

It was reported that no fewer than 785 witnesses are expected to appear before the election tribunal to testify for both the APC and PDP on the conduct of the March 2019 governorship election in the state.