Tribunal upholds elections of former Niger gov, Sani Bello, Ndalikali as senators

<p>The Justice Angela Otaluka-led National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Minna, the Niger State capital, has upheld the election of former governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, as lawmaker representing Niger North Senatorial District.</p>, <p>Otaluka awarded N250,000 as cost to the respondent, Shehu Mohammed Abdullahi.</p>, <p>Bello, who contested the seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on February 25, 2023, was announced to have defeated the Peoples Democratic Party’s Abdullahi.</p>, <p>However, Abdullahi approached the election petition tribunal, alleging that the election was marred with irregularities and the casting of multiple votes.</p>, <p>He prayed the tribunal, through his counsel, Barr. Hussaini Garba, to nullify the election of the former governor and declare him the winner.</p>, <p>Delivering her ruling on the matter, Otaluka averred that the petitioner failed in totality to prove the issues of overvoting and, thereby, dismissed it.</p>, <p>Also, the tribunal upheld the election of Senator Peter Jiya Ndalikali of the PDP, Niger South Senatorial District.</p>, <p>Senator Mohammed Bima of the APC had filed a petition against Ndalikali challenging his election and alleged that he was duly elected, having scored the highest votes of the total votes cast at the Niger South Senatorial District polls.</p>, <p>Otaluka dismissed Bima’s petition while declaring that the allegations he raised could not be substantiated, adding, “your petition in totality lacks merit and is hereby dismissed.”</p>