Tribunal affirms Matawalle as Zamfara governor, fines petitioner N5m

The Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal
sitting in Abuja, on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to unseat
Governor Bello Matawalle.

The petition was filed by Muhammed Takori of the Advanced
People’s Democratic Alliance, APDA, against Mattawalle, the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC.

Mr Takori and APDA in the petition prayed the tribunal to
nullify the emergency of Matawalle as governor on the ground that
he did not score two-thirds of the votes cast in the local
government areas of the state as required by law.

Petitioners also queries the declaration of substantial votes
cast on the election day as waste.

But delivering judgment in the petition, the Tribunal headed by
Hon. Justice Binta Zubair held that the petition was un-meritorious
in view of the Supreme Court pronouncement of May 24, 2019.

Mr Zubairu held that by implication, the votes cast for
Matawalle and his party, the PDP, are the lawful votes as far as
the March 9, governorship election in Zamfara state is
concerned.

The Tribunal disagreed with the petitioner that Matawalle did
not win votes in two-third of the local government areas of Zamfara
state adding that the petitioners wrongly predicated his argument
on the votes already declared as waste by the apex court.

Earlier, the tribunal had dismissed Takori’s preliminary
objection that the PDP did not conduct any primaries and that
Matawalle was not duly sponsored by his party, and therefore was
not qualified to contest for the governorship election in the first
place.

In dismissing the petitioner’s objection, Zubairu noted that the
issue of nomination and sponsorship of a candidate is the sole
responsibility of the party and also a pre-election matter of which
the Tribunal has no jurisdiction to entertain.

She also imposed a cost of N500,000 against the petitioners to
be paid to Matawalle as cost of litigation.

The apex court had in the judgment delivered by Tanko Muhammad,
the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, held that votes cast for
candidates who ought not to have participated in an election are
wasted votes that cannot be used in determining outcome of an
election.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral
Commission had declared Muktar Idris of All Progressives Congress
as winner of Zamfara governorship election held on March 9,
2019.

Announcing the result, the Returning Officer, Prof. Kabir Bala,
said, Muktar secured 534,541 votes out of the 810,782 votes cast
across the 14 local government areas of the state while Bello
Matawalle of Peoples Democratic Party PDP came second with
189,452.

The participation of the candidates of the APC in the
governorship, National Assembly and the State House of Assembly was
invalidated by the Supreme Court on the ground that the candidates
were not properly nominated as required by law.

In doing substantial justice to the case. Supreme Court declared
votes cast for APC candidates as waste and announced Matawalle who
came second as the duly elected governor of the state. NAN

Forgery: EFCC Arraigns Lawyer, Fraudster, Other to
Courts

A legal practitioner, Barrister Ezidi Fabulous and Mercy Atata(
a.k.a Homa Odum) were on Monday, November 4, 2019 arraigned by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal
Office, before Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court
sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on three- count charges
bordering on conspiracy, forgery and utteration contrary to Section
3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised
Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) Act, 2007 and
punishable under the same Section.

Specifically, they were docked for allegedly presenting a forged
deed of conveyance to secure the bail of a defendant at the Federal
High Court, Port Harcourt.

One of the charges read: “That you Mercy Atata (a.k.a Homa
Odum), Barr. Ezidi Fabulous and one Barr. King Gabriel (now at
large), Mr. Bob Manuel (now at large), on or about the 14th day of
February, 2019, at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt within the
jurisdiction of the Honorable Court did conspire amongst yourselves
to forge a document titled: DEED OF CONVEYANCE between one SIR.
CHIEF J.B ORJI and MISS. HOMA ODUM, in order to perfect the bail
conditions of one NZE NAT CORNELIUS NWOGA a defendant in charge no.
FHC/PH/75C/2018 between THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA v ANGELA
CHARLES & ORS. knowing same to be false and thereby committed
an offence contrary to Section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offences
Act CAP M 17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of
Nigeria) Act 2007 and punishable under the same Section.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to charges when read to
them.

In view of their pleas, prosecuting counsel, C. Okorie, prayed
the court for a date of commencement of trial.

Defence counsel, C.C. Uchegbu and A.D Odili for the 1st and 2nd
defendants, prayed the court for an adjournment to be able to
formally file bail applications of their clients.

Justice Mohammed adjourned the matter to November 13, 2019 for
commencement of trial.

The two defendants ran into trouble when the Federal High Court,
Port Harcourt petitioned the EFCC alleging that they conspired to
forge and utter a deed of conveyance, which they tendered to secure
the bail of a defendant before the court.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
………
EFCC Docks Suspected Internet Fraudster in Makurdi

The Makurdi Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), on Monday, November 4, 2019, arraigned
26-year-old suspected internet fraudster, James Kuve Sughter in
Federal High Court, Makurdi, Benue State, presided over by Justice
Mobolaji Olajuwon.

Sughter was docked on two-count charges, bordering on fraud and
possession of documents containing false pretences.

One of the charges reads: “That you James Kuve Sughter, between
January and October 2018, in Makurdi within the jurisdiction of
this honourable court, did dishonesty make use of an electronic
unique identification of another person to obtain the sum of
N534,971 (Five Hundred and Thirty Four Thousand, Nine Hundred and
Seventy-one Naira) only, from one Asiwaju Dada and thereby
committed an offence contrary to Section 22(2)(a) of the Cybercrime
(Prohibition Prevention Etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section
22(2)(b)(iv) of the same Act.”

He pleaded not guilty to the charges, setting the stage for
prosecution counsel, G. G.Chia-Yakua to ask the court for a trial
date and for the defendant to be remanded in prison custody. The
defence counsel, however, moved an application for his bail on
liberal terms.

Justice Olajuwon granted bail to the defendant in the sum of
N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) with one surety in like sum,
who must be a public servant or civil servant on grade level 12 and
above, and must reside in Makurdi, own a landed property, and must
also present a letter of identification to the court, show evidence
of tax clearance and submit two recent passport photographs of
his.

The judge adjourned the case till December 9, 2019 for
commencement of trial, and ordered that the defendant be remanded
in a correctional center, pending the perfection of his bail
condition.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity