The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been ordered to hold a new chairmanship election in six wards of the Kuje Area Council by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja.
Elections in nine voting units were declared invalid by Chief Magistrate Muinat Oyekan, who presided over a three-person panel that rendered the decision.
The judge mandated that the rerun be held in all of the affected voting booths, which Abdullahi Sabo, the incumbent Kuje Area Council Chairman and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had won.
The All Progresses Congress (APC) candidate, Hamidu Sarki, reportedly filed the petition to contest Sabo's victory, according to news sources.
“From the foregoing, it is clear that the petitioners (APC) have established their claims, and judgement is hereby entered in their favor.
“This tribunal therefore, nullifies the elections conducted across the affected polling units while INEC is hereby directed to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days,” she held.
The affected polling units are: Central Primary School, Gudunkarya ward, Chief’s Palace, Yenche ward, Tusha Gwargwada, Gwargwada ward, Kiyi, Chibiri ward and Rubochi Primary School ward.
Others include Dibe polling unit, Gidan Bawa polling unit, Kapwa polling unit and Central Primary School unit in Gbaupe ward.
Reacting to the judgement, Kuje PDP chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Ismaila, said the party was not deterred by the judgment.
According to him, PDP will always win even if the elections are conducted 100 times in FCT.
Ismaila, however, said that the party would not appeal the judgment.
He urged the party supporters to remain calm, stressing that PDP would still win the court-ordered elections across the affected polling units.