By: Bello Galadi,
In my article, titled “101 QUESTIONS ON THE RULING OF THE KANO STATE GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION PETITION TRIBUNAL”, dated 22nd September 2023, I successfully predicted that the Supreme Court “will remedy the wrongs, place the laws in their proper perspectives and come up with sound and valid pronouncements that will pass the test of time”.
I argued in the said article that the Learned Judges for the Tribunal were wrong to have held that the absence of one’s name on the party’s register robs him of his membership of that political party. The mere public declaration is sufficient.
I also argued that the Learned Judges for the Tribunal were wrong to have held that the 165, 663 votes of NNPP were invalid on the ground of non-authentication. I supported my argument with Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 which provides that, a ballot paper without official marks may be counted, unless otherwise rejected by the Presiding Officer of the Polling Unit.
The judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on Friday, 12th January 2024, on the Kano State Governorship Election has vindicated me.
ALHAMDU LIL LAH!
Galadi is a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gusau Branch (covering Zamfara State). He is the President of Bello Galadi Foundation.
He can be reached on:
Muhammadbel_law@yahoo.com and muhammadbellaw80@gmail.com and twitter handle:@bello_galadi1
