While some media claimed the election was inconclusive in some local government areas, others claimed the tribunal had declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Isah Ashiru, the winner.
But in a twist of events, Governor Uba Sani claimed victory in the tribunal judgment, in a press release made available to newsmen and personally signed by him.
In the governor’s version of the release yesterday entitled, ‘The Kaduna Election Petition Tribunal Judgment Is a Clear Affirmation of the Popular Mandate Given to Me By the People of Kaduna State’, Sani said, among others, “I am extremely delighted and humbled by the ruling of the Election Petition Tribunal affirming my victory in the 2023 Kaduna State Governorship Elections.
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“The judgment is an unequivocal affirmation of the popular mandate graciously given to me by the good people of Kaduna State. I commend the tribunal for their thoroughness and lucidity. They have enriched our jurisprudence and practice of electoral democracy.”
The release added, “I also commend my dear brother, Hon. Isah Ashiru Kudan, for approaching the tribunal to ventilate his grievances. This is a clear demonstration of his belief in the principles of democracy and the imperative of civility in the conduct of political actors.
“I call on Hon. Isah Ashiru and members of the opposition parties in Kaduna State join hands with us as we strive to move our dear state to a higher level. We are all stakeholders in PROJECT KADUNA. It is not about personal glory.
“Our people want all hands to be on deck to address the myriad challenges confronting the state. If political actors are united, a clear signal will be sent to our people that the quest for peace, security, progress and development of our state are the driving forces of our participation in politics.”
I call on our party faithful to moderate their celebration of this victory. They must individually and collectively extend an olive branch to our brothers and sisters in other political parties. Instead of celebrating, we should bow down in prayers to the Almighty God for His continued guidance and protection. Let us focus on the tasks ahead.
The conflict in the report emanated earlier that the tribunal had declared that the election that brought the governor to office was inconclusive.
The version had it that the tribunal which delivered the ruling via Zoom, ordered for fresh elections to be held in seven wards of four local government areas in the state.
The petition was filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its candidate, Isa Ashiru.
In a split decision of a ratio of 2:1, the tribunal was quoted to have declared the election was inconclusive and directed that a supplementary election should be held by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 90 days.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Victor Oviawe, in its judgment, ordered a rerun of the election in the 24 polling units consisting of 16,300 registered voters.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Isah Ashiru, filed the petition before the tribunal challenging the declaration of Governor Sani as the winner of the election.
Ashiru had contended that the election of Sani as the governor of Kaduna State could not stand on the grounds of alleged irregularities and electoral fraud.
He also argued that he won the election.
