The Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has confirmed the election of Dauda Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of the state. The tribunal dismissed the petition by Bello Matawalle, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which challenged Lawal’s victory for lacking in merit.
In other words, the tribunal ruled that Matawalle failed to prove his allegations of irregularities in the election. The tribunal found that Matawalle could not prove his claims of wrongful collation of election results, the election not being conducted in some wards in the state, non-compliance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with the Electoral Act, and corrupt practices in the conduct of the election.The tribunal’s decision is a major victory for Lawal and the PDP. It affirms the legitimacy of Lawal’s election and puts an end to Matawalle’s legal challenge.