Te Supreme Court In a decisive Judgment on Friday upheld the election victory of Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Zamfara State.
This ruling sets aside the earlier decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja, which had declared the Governorship Election inconclusive and ordered a re-run in three Local Government Areas of the state.
The legal battle unfolded after the Court of Appeal nullified Lawal’s election in November, overturning his victory in the March 18 governorship election. In a surprising turn of events, Lawal had initially unseated the then-incumbent Bello Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by polling 377,726 votes against Matawalle’s 311,976 votes.
Matawalle, who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Defence, contested the election outcome, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of omitting results from specific ward areas, leading to the nullification of Lawal’s victory by the Court of Appeal.
Earlier, on September 18, the Zamfara Election Petitions Tribunal had dismissed the petition against Lawal, deeming it devoid of merit. Despite upholding Lawal’s victory, the tribunal imposed a fine of N500,000 against the petitioners.
Unsatisfied with the tribunal’s decision, Matawalle sought recourse at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The three-member panel, led by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi, nullified Lawal’s return as the winner and directed INEC to conduct a fresh election in three local government areas where polls were not held or where results were not properly counted.
Undeterred, Governor Lawal appealed the decision to the Supreme Court, culminating in the recent ruling that solidifies his mandate as the duly elected Governor of Zamfara State. The apex court’s decision brings an end to the protracted legal battle, affirming Lawal’s victory and settling the dispute over the governorship position in the state.
