A FEDERAL high court in Abuja on Friday, June 23, confirmed the election of Governor Aminu Tambuwa of Sokoto State. dismissed a suit seeking the removal of the Governor of Sokoto State, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal, from office.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole, the presiding judge, held in his judgment that the suit challenging Tambuwal’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in the primary conducted on December 4, 2015, was lacking in merit.

Umaru Dahiru, a former Senator, and Abubakar Sanyinna, plaintiffs in the suit, were former aspirants for the governorship position of Sokoto State on the platform of the APC.

In his ruling Kolawole said that the plaintiffs were unable to prove the alleged irregularities, particularly the alleged non-accreditation of delegates who voted in the primary, which they claimed marred the entire exercise.

The judge said that even if they were able to prove their case, it would make no useful purpose to nullify the outcome of the primaries when the federal high court, not being an election petition tribunal, lacked the jurisdiction to order a fresh governorship election that would involve not just the APC but other political parties that participated in the April 11, 2015, poll.

Besides, Kolawole said it would have been a different thing if the plaintiffs had claimed to be the winners of the December 4, 2015, primary.

According to the judge, had the plaintiffs been able to prove that they won the primary, the court could have simply removed Tambuwal and ordered the winner of the primary to take over.

—  Jul 03, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT