Tribunal Judgment: FRSC cautions party supporters against “wild celebrations”

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kano State has advised supporters of the All Progressives Congress(APC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party(NNPP) against ”wild celebrations” after the Gubernatorial Election petition Tribunal judgment on Wednesday.

The Sector Commander, Ibrahim Sallau-Abdullahi made the call in a statement signed and issued to newsmen by the Public Relations of the FRSC, Labaran Abdullahi in Kano.

”Supporters should resist temptation of wild celebrations during and after tribunal judgement, especially with vehicles or causing any form of obstruction on the roads.

”Wild celebrations can cause breach of traffic rules and regulations and result in obstruction of highways and road traffic crashes will not be allowed, as perpetrators will face full wrath of the law,” he said.

The corps said that officials and other security agencies will not condole wreckless driving, route violation, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, indiscriminate parkings, overloading, over speeding and driving by underaged during and after the tribunal judgement.

He advised motorists to adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations.

It was reported that the tribunal is due to deliver judgment any moment now on the petition filed by the APC challenging the victory of Gov. Abba Yusuf of the NNPP in the March 18 election.

The tribunal announced the judgement date in a notice issued to the lawyers representing parties to the case on Monday. The announcement came weeks after lawyers made their closing arguments on behalf of their clients on 21 August.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that the NNPP polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC with its candidate, Nasir Gawuna, who scored 890,705 votes. The NNPP candidate thus won with a margin of 128,897 votes.

Displeased, the APC filed a petition at the tribunal to challenge the results declared by the electoral body.

The petition has received attention from within and outside the state, partly because it is a proxy war between rival political heavyweights in the state whose political tentacles extend to the national stage.

The petitioner prayed for nullification of the NNPP Governorship candidate on the ground that the Governor was not a full and registered member of NNPP before the election.

APC equally asked the tribunal to declare the APC candidate winner, having scored highest votes and in alternative, the tribunal should declare the gubernatorial election inconclusive because the margin of lead is not more than the votes cancelled.

The respondents have asked the tribunal to dismiss the petition of All Progressives Congress (APC) for lacking in merit.

NNPP insisted that all the arguments raised by APC are incompetent, null and void and fundamentally defective.

The NNPP had argued that APC’s petition ought to be declared invalid in the first instance, on the ground that no competent court has jurisdiction to rule on a petition where the primary contender ( Governorship candidate) was not joined.