By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara state, yesterday dismissed the petition filed by Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Bukola Saraki, in the Kwara Central Senatorial District in the March 28, 2015 election.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Josiah Majebi in his two hours ruling, dismissed AbdulRasaq’s petition for lacking merit, competence and substance and affirmed the election of Saraki.
He said: “In accordance with electoral act, any petitions to election petition must be filed within 21 days but the petitioner failed to file his petition within the specify period of the time of 21 days, but instead filled outside the scheduled time and thus lacked merit that can warrant the cancellation of the election.”
He said the petitioner also failed to establish the expert oral evidence on the forensic analysis he put forward before the tribunal and this could not be admitted as a factor to cancel the election.
He, therefore, dismissed the petition for lack of merit competence and substance.
In his reaction, the lead counsel to Saraki, Mr. Kehinde Eleja, described the ruling as “an erudite delivery.”
He, however, said “what had happened is not a surprise to us we looked at the processes filed and we felt that the tribunal’s position is very right”.
Also speaking, the lead counsel to the petitioner, Mr. John Oshiagala, said “we have done our best but God gives power to those He pleases.”
Kwara state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a reaction hailed the judgement of the tribunal.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, the party said the judgment “is an affirmation of the mandate freely entrusted to the Senate President by the good people of Kwara Central senatorial district.
“Kwara APC receives with delight the judgement of the election petition tribunal sitting in Ilorin which upheld the electoral victory of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.”
