Court grants Bauchi PDP, NNPP candidates leave to inspect election materials

The Bauchi State Governorship, National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal, has granted leave to PDP candidate, Garba Dahiru to access sensitive materials used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the NASS election on February 25 2023.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who led the three-man panel, gave the order following an ex-parte application filed by Dahiru and his party.

INEC announced APC’s Shehu Umar as the winner of the Bauchi South Senatorial District election on February 26th.

Alex Hassan, lead Counsel to the applicant, had prayed the court to compel INEC to allow his client to obtain documents in the Commission’s custody used for the election, adding that the document would aid his petition against the emergence of APC’s Umar as the winner of the election.

Ruling, Kpochi who granted the application and said it had merit.

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He, therefore, ordered INEC to make the election materials available to the applicant, his agents and counsel.

“The petitioners are to take certified copies and conduct a manual and physical inspection of all the electoral materials used in the conduct of the Bauchi South Senatorial District election held on the 25th February 2023,” he said.

The tribunal also granted leave to a candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Mijinyawa Mohammed, to access election materials used for the Bauchi North Senatorial District election.

Mohammed Counsel, Yaldami Gambo, said the order would aid his party to inspect all the election materials used by the electoral umpire in preparing their petition.