Kano APC seeks tribunal’s order to inspect governorship election materials

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, on Thursday, applied to the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal for an order to inspect electoral materials used during the March 18 governorship poll.

Our correspondent reports that the APC Governorship Candidate, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, is urging the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Abba Kabir-Yusuf of NNPP as governor.

Kabir-Yusuf polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat former Dep. Gov. Gawuna, who scored 892,705 votes.

The petitioner is asking the tribunal to declare him the winner of the election, having scored the highest number of valid votes cast.

He argued that APC ought to be declared winner, if the invalid votes allotted to NNPP were removed, otherwise, the election should be declared inconclusive.

At the resumed sitting for pre-trial, Counsel for the petitioner, Mr Nureini Jimoh (SAN), urged the court to grant his client access to inspect electoral materials used for the election.

Jimoh listed the materials to include the Biomodal Voters Accreditation System machine, ballot papers, voter register and other electoral facilities used by INEC across the state.

Counsel for INEC, Mr K C Wisdom, told the court that they were only served with the process on Thursday.

Counsels for Kabir-Yusuf and NNPP, Messrs Adegboyega Awomolo and E.A Oshayomi, did not object to the application.

The three-member panel ordered all the litigants to conclude all exchange of processes on interlocutory applications before hearing would commence.

The tribunal approved 26 days for all the parties to prove their case, while 15 minutes each were stipulated for examination and cross-examination of witnesses.

The tribunal later adjourned sitting to June 15 for continuation of pre-trial on the admissibility or otherwise of documents and adoption of schedules of proceedings.