Election Tribunal Sacks Kaduna PDP Lawmaker, Orders Rerun

 

 

The National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Kaduna state, on Saturday orders for a rerun in 22 polling units of Kagarko State Assembly Constituency.

The order followed the Tribunal verdict sacking Mr. Morondia Tanko, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the March 9 election for Kagarko State Constituency who was declared winner of the poll.

A former deputy Speaker of the State Assembly and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Nuhu Shadalafiya, had challenged the victory of Tanko and PDP for Kagarko State Constituency at the Tribunal.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Adamu Suleiman, in a unanimous decision ordered a rerun in the 22 affected polling units across two wards in the area.

A member of the tribunal, Justice Maimuna Abubakar who read the judgment, said the petitioner had proved his case beyond reasonable doubt.

According to her, the petitioner had petitioned the Tribunal alleging that the election was characterised by malpractices such as over-voting, manipulations and violence.

She said the petitioner had provided proof that all the alleged electoral malpractices were committed in the affected polling units,

Part of the judgment reads, “That election be rerun in two wards, polling unit 001 to polling unit 018 because the margin between the first respondent and the petitioner is 2,318 votes as the petitioner got 24,008 votes and the first respondent got 36,302 votes.

“However, the result of the over voting filed in the petition was 9,702 votes for the first respondent and 2,128 for the first petitioner thus showing over voting in the election.

“Hence the need for a rerun in the 22 polling units of Kagarko Local government of Kaduna State was delivered as the judgment by the tribunal.”

(NAN)