Kebbi State Governorship Election Tribunal has affirmed the election of Nasir Idris and Senator Umar Abubakar as Governor and Deputy Governor, respectively, of Kebbi state.
The Tribunal’s three-member panel, comprising Justices Ofam I.Ofam, Daurabo Suleiman Sikkan and Celestial Dafe also dismissed certificate forgery allegation leveled against the Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar, by the petitioners.
They noted that the subpoenaed witnesses invited by the petitioners, documents tendered were not basic requirements for contest for the position of Governor and Deputy Governor according to the Electoral Act of 2022.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Ofem I.Ofam, who read the unanimous judgement for about three hours, ruled that the petitioners, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate, Aminu Bande, and his party, had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Deputy Governor of the state forged his certificates.
In the unanimous judgement, justice Ofam said: “based on the foregoing, we hereby affirm the election of Nasir Idris as the elected Governor of Kebbi State. We, therefore, dismiss the petition against the 2nd respondent for lack of merit'”.
Governor Dr. Nasir Idris, in his reaction to the judgement, invited all the members of the opposition party, PDP, to join him in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
Idris said that the period of election is over; “I, therefore, invite all members of the opposition party to join me to deliver dividends of democracy to our people. The issue of insecurity is everybody’s business”.
