Most results declared were phantom votes, PDP, Ashiru say, seek recount of Kaduna Gov ballot

May 14, 2019


The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general elections in Kaduna State, Isah Ashiru, on Tuesday filed an application seeking a recount of the votes cast during the March 9 poll.

The governorship candidate and his party alleged that most of the results declared after the election were phantom votes , hence the call for votes ’ recount .

Ashiru ’ s counsel , Elisha Kurah (SAN) , submitted the application to the Justice I. M . Bako- led tribunal that commenced pre - hearing session on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Justice Bako, however , adjourned the session till May 25 to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission and two other respondents in the petition time to respond to the PDP ’ s application on votes ’ recount .

Kurah, who spoke to journalists shortly after adjournment of the session , urged the Tribunal to order INEC for the recount of the votes cast during the governorship election .

We filed an application requesting to recount the votes cast during the election .

It is very crucial, as we are alleging , which is supported by the evidence we have that most of the results declared were phantom votes .

So , we want a complete recount of the votes cast in the governorship election .

We are expecting that the results would show that the PDP actually won the election .

But votes were just inflicted randomly just to make the APC have the semblance of winning ,Kurah said .

Counsel to PDP , Ibrahim Bawa (SAN) , told newsmen that he also filed application seeking that certain paragraphs of the respondents responses to his client’s application be struck out for lack of merit.

Meanwhile , Abdulhakeem Mustapha, counsel to Governor Nasir El - Rufai , in a separate interview with newsmen said the petitioners of the PDP and its candidate , Isa Ashiru , have four highly contentious applications .

And we intend to oppose the applications on their merit. And the tribunal has given us a new date for us to come and argue the applications .

So , the matter is adjourned for hearing of all the pending applications .

We have a preliminary objection that the petition is not competent.

They (PDP and Ashiru ) have an application that they want the tribunal to direct that the ballots be counted one after the other in open court, and we intend to oppose those applications .

Mustapha added : The Electoral Act is in our favour ; the Kaduna people have spoken, they picked Malam El -Rufai and nothing is going to change that .

We are here to defend the mandate the people have given to the governor .

We intend to convince the tribunal that the petition lacks merit and it should be dismissed .