FCT Tribunal orders re-run chairmanship election in 6 wards in Kuje Area Council in 90 days

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a re-run chairmanship election in six wards of Kuje Area Council.

Chief Magistrate Muinat Oyekan, leading a three-member panel, in the judgment, annulled the elections in nine polling units where elections were marred by irregularities.

The judge ordered that the rerun should be conducted across the affected polling units won by the incumbent Kuje Area Council Chairman, Abdullahi Sabo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The candidate of the All Progresses Congress (APC), Hamidu Sarki, had filed a petition challenging Sabo’s victory.

The tribunal on Wednesday declared: “From the foregoing, it is clear that the petitioners (APC) have established their claims, and judgement is hereby entered in their favor.

“This tribunal, therefore, nullifies the elections conducted across the affected polling units while INEC is hereby directed to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days.”

The polling units were identified to include: Central Primary School, Gudunkarya ward, Chief’s Palace, Yenche ward, Tusha Gwargwada, Gwargwada ward, Kiyi, Chibiri ward and Rubochi Primary School ward.

Others include  Dibe polling unit, Gidan Bawa polling unit, Kapwa polling unit and Central Primary School unit in Gbaupe ward.

PDP council chairman in Kuje, Alhaji Mohammed Ismaila, expressed optimism that the PDP will always win even if the elections are conducted 100 times in FCT. He said that the PDP will not appeal the judgment.