Supreme Court upholds PDP’s Dauda Lawal election as Zamfara Governor

Te Supreme Court has upheld the election victory of Dauda Lawal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Zamfara State.

This decision overturns the earlier ruling by the Court of Appeal Abuja, which deemed the March 18, 2023 governorship election inconclusive, prompting a re-run in three local government areas.

The Court of Appeal had previously nullified Lawal’s election in November, challenging the initial declaration of his victory in the March 18 election.

Lawal emerged triumphant in the election, defeating the then-incumbent Bello Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Lawal secured a total of 377,726 votes, surpassing Matawalle’s 311,976 votes.

The APC candidate, now serving as the Minister of State for Defence, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of undermining his victory by allegedly omitting results from certain Local Government Areas (LGAs).

The Zamfara Election Petitions Tribunal had dismissed Matawalle’s petition on September 18, deeming it lacking in merit and imposed a fine of N500,000 against Matawalle and the APC. Undeterred, Matawalle appealed the decision at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, where a three-member panel, led by Justice Oyebisi Folayemi, nullified INEC’s declaration of Lawal as the winner.

Justice Sybil Nwaka, on behalf of the appellate court, ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in three LGAs where elections were not previously held or where results were not counted.

However, seeking redress, Governor Dauda Lawal proceeded to the Supreme Court, which has now affirmed his victory, bringing a conclusive end to the legal dispute over the Zamfara governorship election.