The Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed the application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the March 9, 2019 election, Abba Kabiru Yusuf, seeking the leave of the court to amend the list of their witnesses.
The counsel to the petitioners, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo(SAN) filed a motion seeking the leave of the court to align the initials on the list to tally with the names of witnesses.
He further urged the tribunal to permit the streamlining of the names of 68 witnesses.
Awomolo, in an affidavit filed on 31st July 2019, supported with an affidavit deposed to by Sadiq Sabo Kurawa, the PDP and Yusuf, sought the tribunal’s permission to cross match the names of their witnesses against acronyms, initials and their exact names.
The counsel representing Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Offiong Offiong (SAN) objected to the motion, saying the request is an attempt to sneak in new witnesses before the tribunal
Offiong told the court that the first respondent had filed a counter-affidavit urging the court to dismiss the motion.
Counsel representing All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN) said the party was aligning with the position of the first respondent.
He said the second respondent had deposed to a counter affidavit to puncture the demands made by the petitioners.
In its ruling, the tribunal, presided over by Justice Halima Shamaki, dismissed the application, noting that the petitioners by their action were trying to enlist new witnesses.
Justice Shamaki said the enlisting of witnesses in election matters was time-bound, explaining that the period within which fresh names could be enlisted had elapsed.
The three-man panel held that the petitioners’ application seeking to amend the list of witnesses was an abuse of court process.
