Makarfi Urges Tribunal To Declare Him Winner Of Kaduna North Senatorial Polls

FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, yesterday urged the Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Kaduna to nullify the election of the CPC candidate, Senator Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, and declare him winner of the Kaduna North Senatorial district election.Adopting his written address before the tribunal yesterday, Counsel to the former Governor, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) told the tribunal to order the deduction of the total invalid votes discovered during the recount and declare him winner of the election.Besides, Makarfi, who is challenging the declaration of Baba-Ahmed as winner of the senatorial election conducted on April 28 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleged that Baba-Ahmed did not score majority of valid votes cast during the election.He also alleged ballot stuffing with unsigned and unstamped ballot papers thumb-printed in favour of the CPC candidate during the election.Following the request through a motion, the tribunal had ordered a recount of vote cast in some polling units in about six of the eight local governments that make up the senatorial district, adding that the outcome of the recount will form part of the judgment of the tribunal.Usman told the tribunal that after the recount, it was clear that the INEC erred when it declared Baba-Ahmed as winner of the election, pointing out that he did not score majority of the lawful votes.Meanwhile, Counsel to Baba-Ahmed, Abbas Ibrahim, asked the tribunal to reject the plea of the petitioner and uphold the election of the respondent, pointing out that some of the local government where the recount took place were not part of the petitioner's plea in his petition.Abbas, who had earlier brought a motion seeking permission of the tribunal to file his written address out of time, also asked the tribunal to refuse the petitioner the opportunity to reply to his written address and adopt the address originally filed by them within the stipulated time.
Click here to read full news..