From Kayode Lawal, Abuja.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday declared the March 18 Governorship election in Kaduna conclusive and affirmed Uba Sani as the lawful winner of the poll.
The Appellate Court in a judgment reversed the declaration of the election as inconclusive by the Kaduna State Governorship Election Tribunal in its judgment of September 28.
Justice Obietonbara Owupele Daniel-Kalio who read judgments of the Court of Appeal on the main and cross appeal, also reversed the order of the Tribunal on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to conduct supplementary elections in 22 polling units in four Local Government Areas of the state.
In the main appeal, Justice Daniel-Kalio resolved all the five formulated issues against
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the 2023 election, Mohammed Isah Ashiru.
The five issues bothered on alleged malpractices, over voting, manipulation of results collations and ballot stuffing made by PDP and its Governorship candidate.
In the cross appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress APC, which challenged the declaration of the election inconclusive, the Court of Appeal resolved the three formulated issues in favour of the party and vacated the declaration of the Tribunal.
The Court held that evidence relied upon by the Tribunal to declare the election inconclusive were manifestly bad, unreliable and ought not to have given any probative value.
A 3- man panel of Justices of the Court headed by Justice Obietonbara Owupele Daniel-Kalio and supported by James Gambo Abundaga and Mohamed Baba Idris delivered the unanimous judgments.
