The Election Petitions Tribunal in Katsina has granted all the four prayers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Garba Yakubu Lado, to inspect electoral materials used in the March 9 gubernatorial election in the state.
The chairman of the tribunal, H.H. Kereng gave the order following an ex parte motion filed by the applicants before the tribunal through their counsel, Francis Ani, on behalf of Ricky Tarfa, SAN.
The applicants had dragged the state governor, Aminu Masari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents.
The prayers as granted by the tribunal were, granting leave to move and for the tribunal to hear and determine the application outside the pre-hearing session; an order directing the 3rd respondent to permit the inspection of originals of INEC forms, voter register and register of permanent voters’ card.
Others were to allow the petitioners, their counsel, agents and experts access to the card readers and ballot papers used in the election, including scanning same for the purpose of making analysis to sustain the election petition as well as an order to INEC to forthwith produce on polling unit basis or otherwise, all the ballot papers or unused together with their contents used in the said election.
