Tribunal Sacks Bwari Council Chairman, Declares APC Winner

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Election Petition Tribunal has invalidated the election of the chairman of Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), declaring Shekwolo Haruna Audi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the rightful winner of the February 12, 2022 election.

The judgment by a three-member panel led by the Chief Magistrate, Muinat Olashade Oyekan, said Gabaya did not win the majority of lawful votes cast during the chairmanship election in the area.

She said that the APC candidate scored the highest number of votes more than the PDP candidate and that results of some identified polling units at some political wards were not recorded for the APC candidate during the area council poll.

Oyekan, therefore, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the Certificate of Return issued to Gabaya and present same to the APC candidate, Audi, as the duly elected chairman of Bwari Area Council.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of Bwari Area Council, Kedenya Peter, while reacting to the judgment, described it as laughable, saying that the verdict will be appealed.

In a similar development, the Tribunal has also ordered INEC to conduct supplementary elections in nine polling units across six wards of Kuje Area Council.

The judge, while ruling on a petition filed by the APC chairmanship candidate, Hamidu Sarki Gaube, nullified elections conducted across some of the affected polling units that favoured the incumbent chairman of the council, Abdullahi Suleiman Sabo, of the PDP.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the petitioner (APC) has established their claims and the judgment is hereby entered in their favour. And this tribunal, therefore, nullified elections across the affected polling units while INEC is hereby directed to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days,” the Magistrate said.

The affected polling units are Central primary school polling units in Gudunkarya ward, Chief palace open space polling unit in Yenche ward, Tusha Gwargwada in Gwargwada ward, Kiyi polling units in Chibiri ward, and Rubochi Primary School.

Other affected polling units include Dibe polling units, Gidan Bawa polling units, Kapwa polling units, and central primary school polling units in Gaube ward.

The PDP chairman in Kuje area council, Alhaji Mohammed Ismaila Dogara, while also reacting to the judgment, said the party is unperturbed by the judgment, saying PDP will always win if elections are conducted 100 times.

He said the council will not appeal the judgment while urging members and supporters of the party to remain calm as the PDP will still win the supplementary elections across the affected polling units.