Federal High Court commences re-trial of suit against Tambuwal

Gov. Tambuwal

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Monday fixed February 28 for commencement of hearing in the suit by Senator Dahiru Umar challenging the election of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

The Supreme Court had ordered the fresh hearing of the suit after upturning the verdict of the Appeal Court in Abuja, and upholding the submissions of Dahiru Umar that there are live issues in the case against the governor.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, Umar’s counsel, Awa Kalu (SAN) and Abdulhamid Mohammed, brought an application to amend the originating summons to demand that the court declare him winner of the election.

Justice Gabriel Kolawole adjourned argument on the fresh application after taking the arguments of defence counsel.

After the conclusion of the December 4, 2014 governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, Senator Umar had alleged that the primary, which produced Tambuwal, was fraught with irregularities and breach of Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010; the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Public Offices and the 1999 Constitution.

But defence counsel, Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Sunday Ameh (SAN), asked the then presiding judge, late Justice Evo Chukwu, to strike out the pre-election suit having been overtaken by events, adding that Tambuwal not only participated in the main election but emerged victorious.

They contended that the suit amounts to mere academic exercise with the emergence of Tambuwal as governor of the state after polling 647,609 votes to beat PDP’s Abdullah Wali who scored 269,074.

The judge, however, overruled their submissions which made them to challenge it at the Appeal Court.

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