Governor Nasir El-Rufai

The Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Kaduna today, Thursday, upheld Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s election. The All Progressive Grand Alliance governorship candidate, Polycarp Danladi Gankon had, on May 28, 2015, petitioned the court seeking the cancellation of the results and nullification of El-Rufai’s election.

But in the judgement which took over six hours , the Chairman of the tribunal, A.A. Adebara dismissed the case of APGA governorship candidate for lack of evidence and failure to provide proof to substantiate the issue of exaggerated election results brought before the tribunal.

Adebara also dismissed Gankon’s petition on allegation of non compliance in seven local government areas during the April 11 , 2015 governorship election on grounds that, he (Gankon) could neither provide evidence to support his allegation nor witnesses.

Though the tribunal didn’t grant the APGA candidate’s plea to nullify the election because of non compliance, exclusion and exaggerated results in and order for a re-run, it cancelled results in some wards of seven local governments.

However, after cancelling results of APC in the affected wards of the seven local government areas, Justice Adebara declared El-Rufai the authentic and duly elected winner of April governorship election.

After the judgement was delivered, counsels to the petitioner and respondents praised the judgement, pointing out that it was a well researched.