APC’s Jibrin Reacts As Appeal Court Nullifies His Election

Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC-Kiru/Bebeji Kano) has rejected the ruling of the Court of Appeal that nullified his election into the House of Representatives.

Naija News reports that the Appeal Court in its ruling, cancelled elections held in the two local governments in the constituency on grounds of the mutilation of final results contained in the EC (8)E forms.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh election.

With this, the appellate court overturned the decision of the election petition tribunal led by Justice Nayai Aganaba which had on September 12 upheld Jubrin’s election victory in the petition brought before it by candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aliu Datti Yako.

The tribunal had unanimously dismissed the petitions, noting that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations.

Yako in his petition before the tribunal, alleged that INEC wrongly declared Jibrin as the winner of the poll with 41,700 votes, while he was said to have scored 40,385 votes.

Reacting, Hon. Jibrin said the court was wrong in nullifying the entire election as only 13 wards were in contention across the constituency, which covers about two local governments.

The APC lawmaker, however, said he was prepared to face a rerun as ordered by the court, asking his supporters to remain calm.

He said: “As you may be aware, the decision of the people of Bebeji/Kiru to renew their trust in me to represent them at the House of Representatives was challenged vide an election petition.

“In the petition, the court was specifically asked to nullify the results of the 23rd February, 2019, election in 13 polling units.

“Of the 13 Polling Units challenged, only one witness, who was not listed on the petitioners’ list of witnesses, and who deposed to being both a member of the All progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party member at the same time, gave evidence in respect of all the said 13 polling units.

“The witness neither personally saw nor did he directly encounter events in the polling units he purported to give evidence about. We pointed this out in our representations to the Judges and the Tribunal agreed with us that the petition was without merit.

“The petitioners appealed to the Court of Appeal, and by a decision delivered earlier today, the petitioners’ appeal was allowed.

“Strangely, even though the petitioners’ sole relief as it related to a rerun election before the Tribunal and Court of Appeal was for a nullification of the afore-said 13 polling units, the Court of Appeal, on its own volition nullified the entire election of 23rd February, 2019.

“As a good Muslim, one who has an unflinching belief in the will of Allah, I know full well that all events are within the scope of The Almighty, and this is no exception.

“I profoundly disagree with the decision of the Court of Appeal, but as a thoroughbred democrat, I have received the court’s decision in good faith, and forced to accept it even though it runs contrary to other precedents of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.”