Tribunal confirms Inuwa Yahaya’s re-election as Gombe State Governor
In a significant ruling, the Gombe State Governorship Election Tribunal has upheld the re-election of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, dismissing the petitions filed by the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jibrin Barde, and the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) and its candidate, Nafiu Bala.
Both parties challenged the victory of Inuwa Yahaya and his Deputy, Manassah Daniel Jatau of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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The three-member panel unanimously dismissed the petitions, stating that they lacked merit. The tribunal described the petition filed by the PDP as vague, lacking in particularity, and baseless. The PDP had alleged electoral malpractices and claimed that Inuwa Yahaya was not elected by the majority of lawful votes cast.
However, the tribunal struck out the petition due to the petitioners’ failure to provide witnesses and evidence to support their claims.
Similarly, the tribunal dismissed the ADC’s petition, deeming it without merit. The ADC had challenged the declaration and return of Inuwa Yahaya, citing alleged discrepancies in the arrangement of names on the certificates of his deputy. However, the court ruled that this issue was a pre-election matter, and the deputy had met the minimum requirements to run for office.
Additionally, the tribunal found no evidence to support the ADC’s allegations of voter inducement, corrupt practices, and non-compliance with the electoral act.
With this decision, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s re-election as the duly elected governor of Gombe State has been affirmed by the tribunal. The ruling validates the legitimacy of the All Progressives Congress’ victory in the March 18th Gubernatorial polls.
