Tribunal grants PDP permission to inspect electoral material in Kano

Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Kano, on Tuesday granted permission to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect all election materials used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the gubernatorial election in the State.

The gubernatorial candidate of the PDP Alhaji Abba Kabiru-Yusuf is challenging the declaration of Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the March 23 supplementary election in Kano State, NAN reports.

In an exparte motion filed before the Tribunal, presided over by Justice Halima Shamaki, Counsel to the PDP Candidate, Maliki Kuliya-Umar sought an order of the tribunal, directing INEC to allow the party to inspect electoral materials used for the conduct of the March 9 and March 23 elections.

In the application, the PDP counsel, prayed the tribunal to direct INEC to forthwith grant access to the petitioner’s/applicants and their solicitors, agents, experts and other staff to inspect, photocopy, scan, pay for and obtain certified copies of the documents used by the first respondent for the conduct of the Kano State governorship election held on March 9, and March 23.

Justice Shamaki ordered INEC to surrender photocopies, scanned and other certified materials used during the conduct of the Kano elections to the party for the purpose and intent it wanted to use them.

NAN reports that PDP still has less than five days to file her petition against the ruling party, APC having exhausted almost 15 days out of the 21 days provided under the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.