Jubilation In Kaduna as Gov Namadi Sambo Retains Seat
Submitted on 19/04/2008

SA on ICT Office

IT was jubilation galore in Kaduna on Friday when the State Election Petitions Tribunal dismissed a petition filed by the gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party(ANPP), Alhaji Mahmood Sani Sha’aban, challenging the election of Governor Mohammed Namadi Sambo in the April 14 2007 election.

Justice Ali Garba, who led the five-man tribunal in a one-and-a-half-hour judgment, upheld the election of Governor Sambo.

He said the case petition of the ANPP lacked merit and declared that Governor Sambo was the duly elected governor of Kaduna State.

However, the ANPP’s gubernatorial candidate said he would appeal the judgment of the tribunal.

After going over the arguments of the counsel to Sha’aban, Mr. Mike Ahamba, SAN, and that of Governor Sambo, Emmanuel Toro, SAN, Justice Ali Garba ruled that Sha’aban failed to prove that the election was rigged in favour of the governor.

According to him, the ANPP gubernatorial candidate listed 351 witnesses in his petition but called only one, who was not even an eye-witness to the alleged irregularities and rigging claimed by him.

He added that Sha’aban also failed to provide eyewitnesses as he claimed in his petition that there were electoral malpractices in about 16 local government areas.

The tribunal chairman said there was no nexus between the evidence provided by the petitioner’s only witness and the exhibits tendered before the tribunal, while oral evidence to back the tendered documents were lacking.

He added, “Mere tendering of Form EC8A by the petitioner without providing the evidence to back its claims was fatal to the petitioner’s case.

“The petitioner merely made allegations, tendered documents and left the tribunal with the task of investigating, which was not its responsibility. Therefore all the evidence tendered by the petitioner lacked value.”

Governor Arch Mohammed Namadi Sambo is a true democrat, whose approach to problems is always humane and conciliatory he is a man of peace who patiently looked to the future with courage and hope. His commitment in the direction of transforming the state into a relatively better integrated and functional polity is continuing  with a mission  to create a stable  and cohesive polity capable of securing effectively the interests of the various communities and giving them the opportunity to develop and live in peace  with one another.

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