The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal (NAEPT) sitting in Niger State, headed by Justice Angela Otaluka, is set to deliver its ruling on the petitions submitted for the February 25, 2023, general elections.
Currently, the petitioners’ counsels have prepared their final written addresses, which have been admitted by the three-member panel of the tribunal sitting at the Minna High Court complex, signaling the forthcoming judgment.
During the pre-hearings of the tribunal, a total of 17 petitions were filed by various petitioners’ counsels.
Out of the 17 petitions, three were from the Senatorial Districts of Niger South, Niger North, and Niger East.
The tribunal has also received and admitted no fewer than 455 exhibits and pieces of evidence during its hearings, including ballot papers and BVAS machines.
In the Niger North senatorial district, Alh. Shehu Abubakar, who contested for the seat under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), filed a petition against the victory of the immediate past Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the election. The petition alleges irregularities, vote-buying, and overvoting, and Barr Hussain Umar Garba, counsel for Alh. Shehu Abubakar, urged the tribunal to overturn its outcome in favour of his client, claiming that his client garnered the majority of votes in the election.
Similarly, Senato Mohammed Bima of the APC in Niger South senatorial zone brought a petition before the election tribunal against Senator Peter Jiya of the PDP, who was declared the winner, citing alleged multiple votes and other electoral malpractices.
In Niger East senatorial district, Ibrahim Isyaku SAN of the PDP challenged the emergence of Senator Mohammed Sani Musa of the APC as the winner, alleging voting, vote buying, and other irregularities during the poll in the zone.
