Appeal Court declares Zamfara gov election inconclusive, APC hails judgment
By Matthew Eloyi
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has ruled the Zamfara State governorship election inconclusive, overturning the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Dauda Lawal from the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner.
Bello Matawalle, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, contested the election outcome at the tribunal, but the petition was dismissed for lacking merit.
But in a judgment on Thursday, the Court of Appeal declared the election inconclusive and directed INEC to conduct a fresh election in three Local Government Areas (LGAs) where previous elections were not held or where polling unit results were not counted.
The court criticized the tribunal for not properly evaluating the evidence presented and acknowledged the credible evidence presented by the appellants.
Additionally, it emphasized that the INEC Results Viewing Portal should only be used for result viewing, not collation.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State chapter of the APC has expressed appreciation to the Court of Appeal for declaring the election inconclusive.