The National and State House of Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Kaduna State has rejected the petition filed by Mr. Michael Ayuba Auta of the Labour Party (LP), challenging the victory of Senator Sunday Marshall Katung of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Kaduna South District Senatorial election of February 25, 2023.
You may recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared and confirmed Senator Katung as the election’s victor.
Auta and the LP complained to the tribunal after being unsatisfied with the declaration, claiming that Katung did not win the election by a majority of the valid votes cast and that the election was invalid because it did not follow the rules of the Electoral Act of 2022.
In a decision rendered by Justice O. O. Oluboyede, the panel determined that the petition could not be supported or strengthened by the caliber of the witnesses that the petitioners called.
Justice Oluboyede further held that the evidence presented by the petitioners was feeble and flimsy while stating that the pleadings did not constitute evidence.
