Tribunal upholds Senatorial election of ex-Niger governor

The Justice Angela Otaluka National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna high Court complex has upheld the election of the former governor of Niger State Abubakar Sani Bello now a Senator.

Abubakar Sani Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) contested the February 25 National Assembly Election to represent the Niger North senatorial district against the Senatorial candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Shehu Mohammed Abdullahi.

CAPITAL POST recalled that Shehu Mohammed approached the election Petition Tribunal challenging the election of the Abubakar Sani Bello on the allegations which bothered on multiple votes irregularities.

In his Petition to the Tribunal, Shehu prayed the court through his lawyer, Barrister Hussaini Garba that the Tribunal should nullify the election of Abubakar Sani Bello and declare him the winner as he scored the highest votes cast at the February 25 National Assembly Election

In over three hours judgement delivered at the high court headquarters in Minna, Justice Angela Otaluka after reviewing the whole proceedings of the petition, she avered that the petitioner failed in totality to prove the issues of over votings raised in his petition saying that the petition lacked merit and “is hereby dismissed while the second respondent in the petition election is upheld.”

Justice Angela Otaluka while dismissing the petition, awarded the sum of N250,000 as a cost to the respondent.

Similarly the election of Senator Peter Jiya Ndalikali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Niger South Senatorial district at the February 25 National Assembly Election has been upheld by the Tribunal.

Senator Mohammed Bima of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a petition against Senator Peter Jiya Ndalikali challenging his election at the February 25 National Assembly Election.

Bima contended that he was duly elected having scored the majority of the total vote cast at the Niger South Senatorial district and prayed the Tribunal to nullify the election of Senator Peter Jiya Ndalikali and declare him the rightful winner of the election.

Otaluka while dismissing the petition, declared “that the assertions raised by the petitioner could not be substantiated and the petition in totality lacked merit and is hereby dismissed.”