BREAKING: Gombe State Tribunal affirms Inuwa Yahaya’s election victory

On Tuesday, the Gombe State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal affirmed the victory of Governor Inuwa Yahaya from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March gubernatorial 18 poll. The tribunal, presided over by Justice S.B Belgore, dismissed the petition lodged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and their candidate, Mohammed Barde, citing a lack of merit.

Recalling that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had previously declared Inuwa as the winner of the poll, the PDP candidate, dissatisfied with the election’s outcome, pursued legal action to challenge the governor’s victory, alleging irregularities such as vote-buying.

In its ruling, the tribunal deemed these allegations unfounded, asserting that the petitioners failed to substantiate the purported election malpractices. Consequently, the tribunal dismissed the petition.

Furthermore, the court also rejected a petition brought forth by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) challenging the election of Governor Yahaya and his deputy, Manasseh Jatau. The ADC’s petition was based on alleged discrepancies in the names on the certificates submitted to INEC by the deputy governor. However, the tribunal dismissed this petition, citing it as a pre-election matter.