The Kaduna Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday struck out the motion of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking for recount of votes cast in the governorship elections in the state, for lack of merit. Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Ibrahim Bako, while ruling on the motion, said the tribunal has a timeline of only 180 days within which to complete its assignment and would not accommodate the motion seeking for the recount of the votes.

The tribunal also refused the application for amendment of the motion that sought to narrow the votes recount exercise to only 12 local government areas of the state. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the motion was brought before the tribunal by the PDP and its governorship candidate in the March 9 election, Alhaji Isa Ashiru.

Counsel to both PDP and Ashiru, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) had on May 25, applied to for the amendment of the motion for the votes recounts to be done in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Zaria, Sabon Gari, Makarfi, Kudan, Kubau, Soba and Ikara local government areas, mostly won by the APC. However, the Tribunal chairman, ruled that the motion be struck out, thus ending the pre-hearing session of the petition.

He then adjourned to June 15 to begin hearing in the main petition filed by the PDP and Ashiru. Meanwhile Counsel to Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, that of the All Progressives Congress’, Lawal Bawa and Aliyu Umar of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who had objected to the motion, said they were happy with the ruling. They said the verdict was a reflection of the position of the law and commended the tribunal for ruling in their favor.

The counsel told newsmen in separate interviews at the end of the sitting that they were ready for the hearing in the main suit scheduled to begin on June 15. Mustapha, the counsel to El-Rufai, said that they were ready to defend the re-election of the Governor in the 2019 poll, insisting that the mandate was genuinely given to the governor by the majority of voters in the state. According to him, the defense would provide all needed documents and evidence to defend the mandate given to El-Rufai before the Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Elisha Kura, Counsel to the PDP, told newsmen that the party would challenge the tribunal’s ruling in the Appeal Court even as the tribunal begins hearing the main petition. “We are going to study the ruling and we have already have perception about the case, but it has to be challenged. “For the Tribunal to say that it has no powers to order for a ballot recount is strange because other Tribunals had done it before. “For them to assume that there is no place in the Electoral Act that there is no specific provision that talks about the recount is strange,“ Kura said. The counsel said while the party would continue with its petition, it would seek further interpretation of the ruling of the tribunal against the motion for the recount of votes at the Court of Appeal. (NAN)

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/votes-recount-el-rufai-floors-ashiru-at-election-tribunal.html?

Good one there

El rufai I know? Even his left shoe will defeat five pdp candidates put together in kaduna. It is win win situation for him.

Congrat our incoming VP

Better ....before the children of hate link this to Tinubu again

Pdp ntoor

180 days is 6 months, so the tribunal can't use one month out of the six months to recount the votes?
No be say na the judges go do the counting oh,

will dat stop him from bin d corrupt man he is? abeg next

mushroom judgement. uwar shegu sai hellrufai. dan shege

Na Supreme Court dey always deliver for PDP


Make them just carry the matter to Supreme Court abeg

Where's my pop corn

� who is president

reccy:
El rufai I know? Even his left shoe will defeat five pdp candidates put together in kaduna. It is win win situation for him.

Congrat our incoming VP

JubrinElSudan:
180 days is 6 months, so the tribunal can't use one month out of the six months to recount the votes?

Don't mind the tribunal. Just to favour El Rufai, that's all. Nonsense judgment.

This is madness. Adams Oshiomole won Prof Osunbor at the election tribunal after asking for a recount of the votes, therefore, there is a precedence.
The votes that gave Elrufai victory was counted in one day. So why is the judge behaving as if he is the one to recount the votes and 180 days is too short for him

Why not recount the votes if they are very sure that the won clean and square, even in village meetings votes are recounted when people raise their hands during elections or taking decisions.

But the tribunal didn't gv a justifiable excuse!
180days is far more than enough time to recount the votes in 12 LGAs!

Improper heading.

The tribunal merely said they cannot allow pdp recount the ballot papers because they would not finish before the statutory 180 days for election matters to be completed.

Meaning: whom ever scored the highest amount of votes is never be be known.

Not that it is certain that elrufia won

If they advertise pampers they will show baby butts but when they advertise pads, they will show a girl running
Are pads used for jogging? �

If they recount kano election Ganduje will loose whole fully

El Rufai won Kaduna

Very urgent

We aren't surprised