KADUNA GUBER: YAKOWA FLOORS CPC'S CANDIDATE, KAJURU AT TRIBUNAL

Yakowa, PDP candidate,  floored  CPC's  Mallam Sa'eed Kajuru, as the tribunal said that Kajuru failed to prove his allegations of election malpractices against Yakowa beyond reasonable doubt.

However, Kajuru told reporters that he was not satisfied with the judgment and vowed to appeal, because according to him, the judges were compromised.

This was even as Governor Yakowa addressed a jubilant crowd at Government House  and cautioned his supporters  against undue celebrations that could provoke the opposition.

Justice Ayuba  Kwajafa, who read the three- hour judgment said the tribunal upheld the electoral victory of Yakowa on the grounds that the petitioner could not prove his case against Yakowa.

The CPC had challenged the victory of Yakowa on the grounds that the whole process was marred with undersupply of electoral materials; that the election did not take place in some wards but results were declared and that violence scared its supporters from going out to vote in some wards.

The party also stated that in  nine wards in Zangon Kataf, Chikun, Kaura, Jema'a and Kachia Local Government Areas, the CPC supporters were intimidated from coming out to vote just as it alleged that in some polling units in Ikara, and Chikun local governments, some ballots boxes were snatched and stuffed with already stamped ballot papers to favour Yakowa.

The party hired some people who claimed to be ''forensic experts'' to help it in verifying the ''thumb prints of some 600,000 ballot papers'' it was contesting.

But Justice Kwajafa said that the forensic experts brought on cross examination admitted that  the were neither forensic nor handwriting experts as claimed, hence their opinion had no substance.

'Habibu Mahammad, from Zongon Kataf ward, Dakachi Hassan from Zonkwa ward all members of the CPC; Ahmadu Zango, Abdullahi Adamu both displaced voters from Jama'a, who came to testify before this tribunal, on cross examination said they were not at the polling units. This means the argument of the plaintiff on this matter is not tenable.

'In Chikun, none of the witnesses called by the Petitioner ever appeared before the tribunal,' the Judge further said and  cited the case of Agagu Vs Mimiko (2003) and Obasanjo Vs Buhari (2007) pointing out that since the plaintiff could not prove his petition against the defendant, the judgment was in favour of the defendant.

In an interview with reporters, Kajuru later said, 'We have seen what the panel or this tribunal has done. And we know that it was compromised. We know that hey have erred. We know that the judgment has been well decided ahead of today.

' So you can see the pattern of the presentation is quite clear. We are going to follow up because we have seen what their decision has been in the past through minor judgments or rulings, and we have prepared adequately to go and ahead with an appeal.

'The process of appeal has started even before now. We will not allow miscarriage of justice to continue  unabetted. We will continue to pursue the case by educating the good people of Kaduna state to know that this is the stand we have taken. Our lawyers are prepared for this. And we will move on. Victory is ours. We call on our supporters to continue to be law abiding.'

Meanwhile an elated Governor Yakowa addressed a cheering crowd of supporters who overwhelmed security at the Government House, shortly after the verdict saying:

'I want to thank the Almighty God for this other victory. I want to call on all Haruna Sa'eeds to embrace this judgment and join hands with us to develop this state. This not a time for celebration, but a time to sit together and fashion out how to improve on peace and the wellbeing of our people.

'I call on all our supporters to be cautious in their joy. You must not rejoice in a manner that would provoke the opposition. The task ahead is too huge to be spent on celebration.'

Ahead of yesterday's judgment, the police combed the streets for trouble makers following security reports that some people had planned to resort to voilence which ever way the matter went just as luxury cars were subjected to on-the spot search by  policemen