The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kaduna has dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives Candidate for Kaura Federal Constituency, Kaduna State, Rt Hon Gideon Gwani, seeking to invalidate the election of his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Hon Donatus Mathew.
Hon Donatus, a former Okada rider, was declared the winner of the House of Representatives election conducted on February 25th, 2023, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Unsatisfied with the election outcome, Gideon Gwani, who previously served as the Minority Whip at the 9th Assembly in the House of Representatives, filed a petition at the tribunal in an attempt to nullify Donatus’s victory.
Justice F.A. Fiberesima, a member of the three-man panel that presided over the petition, delivered the judgment on Friday, dismissing the case and awarding N1.6 million to Donatus.
READ ALSO: Bauchi Police Arrest Six Armed Robbery Suspects
Speaking to reporters after the judgment, Mr. Zakari Sogfa, counsel to the respondent (Donatus), explained that the petitioner brought two prayers before the tribunal.
“The first prayer was that the Respondent, Hon Donatus was not qualified to contest the election that produced him as the party’s flag bearer for Kaura Federal Constituency on the ground that he was not sponsored by his political party and the other prayer was that there were electoral malpractices in five areas.
“But delivering the judgment the two prayers were struck out by the Tribunal for lack of merit.
“The Tribunal further ruled that Gwani did not have the right to determine to a political party who should sponsor its candidate other than who should fly its flag and how it should go with its elections,” he said.
READ ALSO: Kanu’s Family Confirms Legitimacy of “Sit-at-home” Order in Letter
Speaking further, Sogfa said the council couldn’t have nullified the election as prayed, adding that such would amount to interfering in political party affairs, “more so when the issue canvassed was a pre-election matter”.