The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18, 2023, Kaduna State general elections, Isa Ashiru, has claimed that two conflicting election results emerged from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.
Speaking on Monday before the election petition tribunal in Kaduna, he claimed that election results were changed in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
After adopting his final written address before the three-man panel of the tribunal, Ashiru, through his lead counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, explained that INEC is responsible for the manipulation of election results.
In his final written addresses, Ashiru also alleged overvoting and abuse of the electoral process while calling for the reversal of the INEC declaration that produced Uba Sani as the incumbent governor of Kaduna State.
On the issue of not calling polling unit agents as witnesses, Iyamu explained: “Election results were not changed at the polling units, but that was done outside the polling units before they were declared at the INEC in favour of APC. Our agents at the polling units of other parties were all given their duplicate copies, from which we confirm that the Petioners actually won the election. Neither INEC nor Uba Sani produced contrary originals or duplicate copies, respectively, to disprove our agents’ certified duplicate copies. We have conflicting results both from INEC, and all were signed by the same INEC.”
Iyamu then urged the tribunal to dismiss the applications of the respondents, arguing that their claims are not supported by any law.
In their separate submissions, the counsels to the 1st (INEC), 2nd (Uba Sani), and 3rd (APC) respondents applied that the written addresses of Ashiru and PDP be dismissed.
Chief Duro Adeyele, SAN, the counsel to Governor Sani, argued that the written addresses of Ashiru and PDP are incompetent, adding that it is a violation of the law.
“My submission is that filing three separate addresses is an abuse of the court process. The only alternative left for the petitioners is to pick one out of the three,” he said.
Meanwhile, upon adoption of the final written addresses by all parties, the tribunal adjourned for final judgement to a date that shall be communicated to the counsels for the petitioners and respondents, respectively.
