National Assembly Election Petition Tribunals across Nigeria are gearing up to deliver judgments on more than 400 election petitions this week as the tribunals are set to conclude their sittings by September 16.
Nigeria’s Electoral Act says the tribunal has 180 days to determine the petitions. Therefore, the court is expected to round off all its activities on or before September 16, 2023.
Initially, 552 petitions were filed by aggrieved candidates who contested National Assembly elections. However, it has been reported that over 150 cases have already been decided, with some petitioners opting to withdraw their cases.
Significantly, numerous federal lawmakers, including senators and House of Representatives members, have seen their electoral victories overturned by these tribunals. Additionally, the courts have ordered re-run elections and declared new winners in several constituencies.
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In Kogi Central, the court unseated Abubakar Ohere and affirmed Natasha Akpoti-Uduagan of the opposition PDP as the rightful winner of the senatorial polls.
Also in Kano, the tribunal nullified the election of Muktar Umar Yerima of the New Nigeria People’s Party as the House of Representatives member for the Tarauni Federal Constituency on the grounds of submitting a forged primary school certificate to INEC.
The tribunal deemed Yerima’s candidacy illegitimate, rendering all votes cast for him as “wasted votes.
Meanwhile, some state tribunals are expected to announce verdicts soon, further impacting Nigeria’s political landscape.
Good Evening Nigeria recalls that the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Kano has reserved judgment in the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress(APC) challenging INEC for declaring Abba Kabir Yusuf of NNPP the winner of the 18th March 2023 governorship election.
The three-judge panel led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay adjourned the sitting to judgment after Counsel of the both parties adopted their respective final written addresses.
According to Justice Osadebay, the registrar of the Tribunal would communicate the date for the judgment to all parties anytime it is ready.
According to a Punch report, the tribunal sitting in Jos, the Plateau state capital, will on Monday (today) deliver judgment on the NNPP’s petition against the PDP governorship candidate, Caleb Mutfwang, who was declared the winner of the March governorship polls.
The NNPP and its governorship candidate, Alfred Dabwan, were challenging the declaration of Mutwang as the winner of the governorship poll at the tribunal.
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In the petition, Dabwan was listed as the 1st petitioner while his party, the NNPP, was the 2nd petitioner whereas INEC, Mutfwang and the PDP were listed as the 1st ,2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.
The petitioners had predicated their petition on the grounds of unlawful exclusion of its identity by the 1st respondent, INEC, during the election, a claim the respondents had urged the court to dismiss