Tribunal orders service of papers on Gombe gov

Gombe State Election Petitions Tribunal on Monday granted an application seeking service of court processes on the state Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, through substituted means.

The ex parte application was filed before the Justice M. O. Adewara-led elections tribunal by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alh. Mohammed Yahaya, who was defeated in the April 11 governorship election in the state.

Yahaya, who alleged gross irregularities in the conduct of the election, had approached the tribunal through his lawyer, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), seeking to be declared winner or an order annulling the election result.

The panel, sitting in Gombe, ordered service of the court papers through substituted means including delivering the documents at the state’s People Democratic Party secretariat or pasting same on the entrance gate to the Gombe State Government House.

The documents to be served on Dankwambo include the petition by the defeated APC cabdidate, witness written disposition, list of witnesses, list of documents and all front-loaded process.

The order was made on Monday following argument by Akintola in support of the application filed on May 2, 2015.

Yahaya, in his petition, alleged that the election was characterised by fraud, multiple voting, ballot snatching, ballot stuffing and outright rigging.

According to him, the election was not conducted in compliance with 2010 Electoral Act as he alleged that some of the results from 11 Local Government Areas in the state were either inconclusive or marred by malpractices.

The petitioner, who claimed to have scored the highest number of lawful or valid votes, is seeking an order of the tribunal compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to declare him winner of the governorship election in Gombe State and present him with the Certificate of Return as the governor-elect of the state.

In the alternative, the APC candidate prayed the tribunal to nullify the election on the grounds of alleged irregularities.