The Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Sokoto, has on Monday, August 21, 2023, reserved judgement on the petition seeking to nullify the election of Dauda Lawal as Zamfara State governor in the 2023 general election.
recall that Dauda Lawal, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared the governor of Zamfara State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on March 18, 2023.
In its petition, the All Progressives Congress (APC) asked the tribunal’s three-member panel, headed by Justice Cordelia Ogadi, to nullify Dauda’s election and declare former Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle the winner, having scored the highest number of valid votes in the state.
In closing arguments on Monday during the adoption of the final written address, Mr Daniel Dodo, SAN, lead counsel to Governor Dauda Lawal, and lawyers to PDP and INEC, second and third respondents, respectively, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition filed by APC, at no cost, for lack of merit and failure to prove the case.