The Governorship election in Niger state has come and gone but there are some post-election matters that will soon become subject for public discourse.
These issues included the challenge to Governor Sani Bello’s victory at the tribunal.
The governor, while receiving his certificate of return about two weeks ago was specific in his admonition to his supporters when he said: “I urge all our supporters to exult in victory with moderation, as we shall formally unveil our renewed directions soon”.
“ To my main opponent, Alh. Umar Nasko of the PDP, I thank you for a keen contest and invite you, alongside other gubernatorial candidates, to join hands with me in moving Niger State to the next level.”
While speaking further, he stated: “I may have won your votes but it is you, the people, who won the election. The true winners are the people of Niger State who in your numbers renewed my mandate to serve you for the next four years. I accept this victory on your behalf”.
He stated further that “I thank all Nigerlites for conducting themselves in an orderly manner during the election and exercising their civic rights in an atmosphere of peace, regard for divergent political interests and respect for constituted authorities in the last elections.”
The governor observed that: “As we can all see, some people are still grappling with different challenges in the aftermath of the elections. Gradually we are becoming a model of an ideal democracy in Nigeria”.
These words of the governor indicated that he may be ready to extend olive branch to other governorship contestants. However, unlike the situation when he came in in 2015 that nobody challenged his victory at the tribunal, three of the 31 governorship candidates in the last election have approached the election tribunal sitting in the state capital, Minna, to seek for the upturn of his victory and that All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.
Whereas the main challenger Umar Nasko, was initially reluctant to approach the tribunal, his party People Democratic Party (PDP), was quick to set up a committee headed by Mohammed Judu, his running mate, to review the issues at the elections and see if they are weighty enough to enable them seek redress at the tribunal.
After receiving the report of the committee, he announced that the party would be approaching the tribunal to seek redress, and election petition was immediately filed before the governorship and house of assembly tribunal in Minna on Wednesday March 27 to meet up with the timeline
Joined in the petition are the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even as the petition was premised on two planks, alleged presentation of fake documents and alleged malpractices discovered in the election in almost all the 25 local governments of the state.
According to the petition, there were alleged discrepancies in the academic certificates presented to INEC by the governor and his deputy which should have in the first instance led to his disqualification.
The petition also claimed that there were glaring electoral malpractices in virtually all the 25 local governments of the state, insisting that the results of election at polling units are at variance with the number of voters captured by the card reader machines.
In the same vein the People Democratic Movement (PDM) purported Governorship candidate, Abubakar Abdullahiu, has dragged the INEC to tribunal seeking nullification of the election for exempting the logo of his party from the ballot paper.
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But the party swiftly dissociated itself from the petition even before it is determined at the tribunal.
AThe People Democratic Movement (PDM) Niger State said it has dissociated itself from the activities of “one Abubakar Abdullahi who claimed to be the governorship candidate and has allegedly gone to Tribunal to challenge the re-election of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.”
A statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the party, Comrade Musa Adamu Nasko and Emmanuel Baba Yisa, respectively, said the party dissociated itself from Malam Abdullahi because he was never a gubernatorial candidate of the party.
The statement added that the party in the state adopted the candidature of Governor Sani Bello of APC as the national secretariat adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate.
According to the party, “it is a common knowledge that the national headquarters of our great party, PDM identified with the candidature of then Presidential candidate of APC, President Muhammadu Buhari, in like manner , Niger state chapter under my leadership also aligned with the candidature of the APC Gubernotorial candidate Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello”.
The party reiterated that “For avoidance of doubt and to put the records straight the People Democratic Movement (PDM) has no gubernatorial candidate in Niger state”, the statement added, while saying that the party in January this year visited the APC campaign office to show solidarity.
Consequently, the party leaders disclosed that “the party has therefore authorized its lawyers to enter a notice of discontinuance at the tribunal, it has equally informed its national headquarters on the activities of the said complainant”.
The PDM Chairman and secretary claimed in the statement that considering the peaceful nature of the last elections in Niger state, it will be unfortunate that an individual would want to cause crisis where there was none.
Similarly, the governorship candidate of Action People’s Party (APP), Kabiru Adamu, and and his deputy governorship candidate, Salami Abubaka have also approached the tribunal seeking redress for the exclusion of her party logo in the last governorship election.
Naturally, the supporters of PDP saw the decision of the party to go to the tribunal as a welcome development whereas the supporters of APC view it as a waste of time considering that the party’s candidate and the incumbent governor scored almost double the vote of the PDP candidate.
But some analysts believed that all legal issues proven beyond the issues of malpractices, the technical issues like falsification of documents, exemption of logo, and other sundry technicalities have always being easy way to nullify elections in the past.
A public affair analyst, Mohammed Musa said the governor must be ready to have a potent legal team especially as regards fake documents, because such issues are capable of denting one’s image even if the case is won.
Apart from the legal challenges before the governor, some of his critics believe that the PDP candidate, despite having lost the election has gone back to the people on a thank you visit, whereas the governor immediately traveled to United Kingdom and Dubai with his close aides and commissioners.
Those expecting a change from his first tenure are said not to be happy that the governor traveled out immediately after collecting the certificate of return, thereby confirming the position of his critics that there would not be a change from the first term as he promised the people, after all.
It is a fact that the critics have not slow down on their attacks on the Governor and such could get tougher as he faces the challenges of defending himself before the election tribunal.
