‘A win for democracy’ — Uba Sani hails verdict affirming his election

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, has commended the verdict of the appeal court affirming his victory in the March 18 governorship election.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, a three-member panel of justices unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mohammed Ashiru.

In September, the tribunal affirmed Sani’s victory in the election on “technical grounds”.

The electoral umpire had declared that Sani scored 730, 001 votes to defeat his closest rival Ashiru of the PDP who polled 719, 196 votes.

Reacting to the judgment, the Kaduna governor said it is now time to continue working for the people of the state without distractions.

“Today, I received the news of the appeal court verdict. It is a testament to the strength of our legal institutions, a win for democracy and a validation of the people’s will,” Sani was quoted as saying by Muhammad Shehu, his chief press secretary.

“I acknowledge and appreciate the diligence and thoroughness of the Kaduna State Elections Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court for arriving at this verdict today.

“I have always remained confident in our judicial process.

“It is now time to peacefully move forward and continue to work assiduously for the people of Kaduna without distractions, as the task ahead of us is huge.”