The Zamfara State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Sokoto, is set to deliver its judgment on the petition filed by former Governor Bello Matawalle, challenging the validity of the election that brought Dauda Lawal to power as the state’s governor.
The Zamfara Tribunal scheduled the judgment for today, Monday, September 18, 2023.
Matawalle, who now serves as the Minister of State for Defence, had accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of undermining his victory at the polls.
He alleged that INEC failed to include the results from certain ward areas, which, if considered, would have secured his victory with a significant margin.
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Speaking on the possible outcome of the setting, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State expressed its confidence in securing a favorable outcome at the tribunal, citing the presentation of substantial evidence during the court proceedings.
APC spokesperson in Zamfara State, Yusuf Idris, in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, said the party is hoping to reclaim “its stolen mandate.”
Idris said Matawalle was rigged out by some forces at the national level because of his involvement in the fight against the new naira notes design and his support for the then-presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu.
He stated, “We are hoping to reclaim our stolen mandate tomorrow, as we all know, we were rigged out during the election by some cabals of the past Federal Government, they used some unpatriotic soldiers to rig the election.
“We provided enough evidence at the tribunal and Insha Allah we will be victorious.”
He called on the members and supporters of the party to remain calm and be law-abiding before, during and after the court judgement.
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Meanwhile, Mouktar Lugga, the acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, expressed the party’s strong confidence in a favorable verdict from the tribunal.
Lugga conveyed the party’s belief in the tribunal’s fairness and the hope that the voice of the people would be acknowledged.
“I called on our people to be patient and not over-celebrate as we anticipate victory, they should not take laws into their hands, we know PDP is peace loving party, they should not do anything that will go against the law,” he said.