Tribunal awards N500,000 against APC candidate, upholds Yakubu Daniel’s victory
…….Sati speaks on petition sacking Gombe Speaker, lauds judiciary
By Chima Azubuike
Gombe State Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, upheld the victory of Honourable Yakubu Daniel, member representing Billiri East constituency in the state assembly and awarded N500,000 against Eglah Idris.
Daniel is a member and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in just concluded election.
Our correspondent reports that based on the matter brought before the Tribunal by All Progressives Congress candidate Idris, her lawyers posited that Daniel Yakubu, was not duly elected, with another ground that the election was invalid due to corrupt practices and non compliance.
Reacting to the verdict of the Tribunal in an interview with journalists, Daniel commended the Judges for upholding fairness, and justice.
He said, “The outcome is in our own favour and we really appreciate God and we are filled with jubilation.
“Their grouse was that there was over voting but the court testified that they have no prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was over voting, mutilation, and cancellation the court chose to strike out the case based on the evidence.”
Speaking on what his constituents should expect, going forward following the decision of the Tribunal tribunal over his legitimacy, “we are trusting God initially we have a good plan for people and we are trusting God we will do well in providing the dividends of democracy. We have started by the grace of God we end well God’s will,” Daniel added.
Also speaking, Barrister Benjamin Sati, who led the team of lawyers that represented the second respondent, Daniel, lauded the jurists for their doggedness.
“The Tribunal extensively exhausted the petition, replies there to and the addresses filed at the end of the Tribunal and came to a reasonable conclusion that the petitioner failed woefully in establishing all allegations and petition and moved the court to tamper with the declaration. The court found no reason based on the evidence particularly that the witnesses they fielded having mentioned 16 they brought only three,” Sati said.
Speaking further, Sati added “the petitioners failed to prove their allegation that the man who was returned as winner ought not to have been returned they didn’t do enough in convincing the court for the court to be swayed to tamper with the return of honourable Yakubu Daniel the petition was dismissed the cost of N500,000 was awarded in the favour of all the respondents against the petitioner.”
Commenting about his recent involvement in the petition that saw to the sacking of Abubakar Luggerewo, Gombe Speaker, Sati said, “Principally, what we challenged in the election of honourable Abubakar Mohammed Luggerewo, who was the speaker was that he was not elected by majority of lawful votes and our residences were advanced in our petition part of which are there are units wherein some elements purported cancelled and into entered in summary of results and so they did not form part of the declaration of results declared some of which are in Kumo central 001,014,024 and we argued that the cancellation was wrong as there was no over voting and ought not to be cancelled. The court ordered Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct supplementary election in that unit within 30 days from the judgement.”
He added, “We are not just happy because it’s victory for democracy but the common man who is brainwashed usually that the judiciary can’t do without been influenced we can make bold to say that the judgements are products of good representation, industry of the judges and the positions of the law. It may not be 100 per cent thing but near perfect. It’s development to our jurisprudence because this is the first time court of record is making pronouncements on the new electoral act 2022 and we are happy we are part of the groundbreaking and the record court setting of 2022, if anyone is dissatisfied he should go to the court of appeal because there the judgements are reported in form of law reports both electronic and hardcopy law report and its going to count for us for being part of this landmark contributions.”
