The Borno State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Maiduguri has upheld the election of Senator Ali Ndume of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and dismissed the petition by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Haske Kudla.
The PDP candidate for Borno South Senatorial District had filed the petition to challenge the victory of Senator Ndume, seeking to upturn his re-election to the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Delivering its unanimous judgment in the matter, the three-man panel of the election petitions tribunal dismissed Kudia’s petition for lack of merit.
The tribunal further held that the PDP candidate failed to present cogent, reliable and compelling evidence that could be sufficient to affect the outcome election’s result as declared by INEC.
Meanwhile, Senator Ndume has reacted to the judgement, saying that the victory will further strengthen his resolve towards serving his Constituency with renewed vigour.
He said, “My dear people of Southern Borno senatorial district, and all our well-wishers across the country, it is with great gratitude to the Almighty God that I address you on this auspicious day in which God has caused us to enjoy another victory, given that a short while ago, the Election Petitions Tribunal affirmed my electoral victory over PDP candidate by outrightly dismissing the petition he filed against my triumph.
“This noble verdict has further reaffirmed the mandate which you gave me in the last election.
“As you may have noted, this petition that has just been dismissed has never ever deterred me from performing my functions as your senator and which goes to say that the court case has never been a distraction to me and I couldn’t have used it as an excuse to deny our people the benefits of their trust in me.
“I consider the petition by my defeated opponent as an exercise of his democratic rights, which cannot be denied.
“And as we celebrate this verdict, I wish to call on all my supporters to celebrate this victory with modesty and with utmost respect for the losing camp without any form of ill will. Let us all be practitioners of the decency and decorum we are known for.
“This victory is not for Ndume, this victory is for all Borno South constituents.”
