The Kaduna state governor, Malam Uba Sani, of All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its guber candidate, Mohammed Isah Ashiru, of attempting to force the Kaduna Guber Election Petition Tribunal back to the pre-hearing stage, when proceedings should be rounding off.
Governor Sani, a co-defendant with the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a petition filed by the PDP and Ashiru challenging his victory in the March 8, 2023 gubernatorial elections, has through his legal team, filed a counter-affidavit to a motion by the petitioners seeking to subpoena 13 voters who have been available to the petitioners as willing witnesses.
The motion is expected to be heard Monday by the 3-man tribunal.
PDP and Ashiru had, in the request tabled before the tribunal on July 19, asked for an order “granting the petitioners/applicants leave to file and move this application outside of the pre-hearing session in this petition.”
They also asked for “an order of this tribunal granting the petitioners/ applicants leave to file and use the witness statements on oath of the following subpoenaed witnesses; Minkailu Lantana, Abubakar Aliyu, Habila Bulus, Felix Audu, Haruna Abubakar, Yusuf Harisu, Isihaku Adamu, Abbas Nuhu, Idris Suleiman, Shuaibu Musa, Isah Sani, Hauwa Hussaini and Ilaya Shamsu”.
They sought four additional orders, including deeming the witness statement on oath of one Gwazah Bonet, their principal witness (PW1) as properly filed and served.
But Governor Sani, countered the requests, as his legal team, led by Chief Duro Adeyele (SAN), in a counter-affidavit dated July 22, asked that the application be tossed. Sani argued that “there is no exceptional circumstance to warrant the hearing and determination of this application outside the pre-hearing session.”
