The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has reacted to the ruling of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Monday which affirmed him as the duly elected Governor of the State.
The Governor in a statement issued through his spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, on Monday, said the victory at the tribunal did not come as a major surprise because it only affirmed the will of the people of the state.
Premium Politics had reported that the Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Sokoto dismissed the petition filed by the former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, against Dauda Lawal.
The tribunal had on August 21, 2023, reserved judgement on the petition seeking to nullify the election of Dauda Lawal as Zamfara State governor in the 2023 general election.
Lawal, who contested on the Peoples Democratic Party platform, was declared the governor of Zamfara State by the Independent National Electoral Commission on March 18, 2023.
However, his predecessor from the All Progressives Congress challenged his victory in court.
In his petition, he asked the tribunal’s three-member panel, headed by Justice Cordelia Ogadi, to nullify Dauda’s election and declare him the winner of the election.
However, the tribunal dismissed the suit challenging Lawal’s victory at the polls.
The Governor thereafter said the will of the people had just been upheld and promised to continue to work for the people of Zamfara State who elected him.
He said, “A moment ago, Dauda Lawal was affirmed as the winner of the March 18, 2023, Governorship election by the Zamfara Governorship election tribunal sitting in Sokoto.
“The judgement was not surprising but rather an affirmation of the collective decision made by the unwavering people of Zamfara.
“Governor Dauda Lawal emerged victorious in the governorship election with an impressive margin of 65,750 votes.
“Let it be known that this victory belongs to all the people of Zamfara, not just the Governor and his party.
“The judgement would encourage Governor Lawal to continue with his resolve to fulfil his mandate and work tirelessly to ensure that the people of Zamfara State experience the benefits of good governance.
“Governor Dauda Lawal’s rescue mission, which began on May 29th after his administration was sworn in, has already made remarkable strides in improving security, education, infrastructure, and agriculture.”
