The National/State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kano has dismissed a petition challenging the victory of Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa as the winner of the Kiru/Bebeji House of Representatives election.
The tribunal held that the failure of Muhammad Said Kiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the petitioner, to call cogent witnesses to prove his allegation rendered his petition incompetent.
The three-man panel presided over by Justice Ngozi Flora Azinge held that the documents adduced before the tribunal by both parties, indicated that Abdulmumini Jibrin Kofa resigned his position as Executive Secretary of Federal Housing Authority, 1 year and 30 days before the conduct of the election conducted on February 25, 2023 against the assertion of the petitioner.
“The petitioner has failed woefully to prove that there was electoral malpractices and not being in compliance with the provision of Electoral Act, 2022 as amended. This petition is hereby dismissed for lack of merit,” the tribunal held.
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The tribunal awarded a cost of N100,000 against the petitioner to be paid jointly and severally to the respondents.
Muhammad Kiru, a former Commissioner for Education in Kano State, had filed the petition praying the tribunal to declare Abdulmumini’s victory during the poll null and void alleging that the entire election was marred by over-voting, thuggery, violence, ballot stuffing, non-accreditation of voters, disenfranchisement of voters among other electoral irregularities and malpractices.
