The National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna has declared Senator Abubakar Sani Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is also the immediate past governor of Niger state, winner of the February 25, 2023 election into the Niger North senatorial seat.
The tribunal also affirmed the election of Senator Peter Jiya Ndalikali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Niger South senatorial district at the February 25 National Assembly election.
Chairman of Panel 1 of the tribunal, Justice Angela Otaluka, in a judgement delivered on Wednesday, dismissed the petition filed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) claiming that the logo of the party was omitted from ballot papers by INEC.
After reviewing the petition filed by the senatorial candidate of the PDP, Shehu Mohammed Abdullahi, challenging the former governor’ victory at the election, Justice Otaluka ruled that the petitioner failed to prove claims of irregularities and casting of multiple votes during the senatorial election.
She said “the petitioner failed in totality to prove the issue of over voting raised in his petition, therefore the petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed while the election of the second respondent in the petition hereby upheld. The cost of N250 000 is awarded against the petitioner in favour of the respondent.”
