Sokoto residents react as Supreme Court affirms Tambuwal’s victory
Following the verdict of the Supreme Court that affirms the victory of Aminu Tambuwal as the duly elected governor of Sokoto state, residents of the Sokoto metropolis trooped out to almost all streets to celebrate the judgement.
The crowd, mostly youth trooped to the streets chanting songs in favour of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Tambuwal.
Some of the crowded streets include Fodio road, Runjin Sambo, Usmanu Danfodiyo University road, Old market, Gobirawa, Rijiya among others.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu, had, on Dec. 4, 2019, appealed the judgment of both the election petition tribunal and the Appeal Court at the Supreme Court for upholding Tambuwal’s election.
The Supreme Court on Monday in Abuja, however, upheld the election of Tambuwal as duly elected governor of the state and dismissed the appeal by APC and Aliyu for lacking in merit.
One of the youth Aliyu Usman who spoke with NAN, thanked Almighty Allah for the governor’s success at the Apex Court.
Usman said that the jubilation was to show gratitude to God over the victory of Tambuwal, insisting that the apex court’s decision was “an affirmation of the real mandate of the people.”
The apex court had on Monday, affirmed the election of Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the duly elected governor of Sokoto State in the March 2019 governorship election.
The apex court dismissed an appeal of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Ahmed Sokoto, filed to challenge Tambuwal’s re-election.
A seven-man panel of justices of the court headed by Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, held that the appellant failed to adduce any credible evidence to prove his petition against the outcome of the governorship election.
Justice Musa Abba-Ajji who delivered the lead judgement, noted that whereas the appellant produced 12 witnesses before the tribunal, 11 of them made their statements in Hausa language while the English version was tendered in evidence.
It held that the appellant failed to tender the original version of the statements he tendered in evidence and also failed to produce the translator to confirm the authenticity or otherwise of the 11 statements.
Besides, the apex court held that the appellant was unable to prove that the election was invalid by virtue of non compliance with the Electoral Act.
Supreme Court on Monday also affirmed the elections of governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.
