The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 governorship election in Sokoto State, Sa’idu Umar, has rejected Saturday’s tribunal ruling dismissing his petition against the election of Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
Umar, in his reaction to the judgement delivered by the three-man panel led by Justice Haruna Msheila, assured his supporters that the judgement will be appealed in the higher court as agreed by his running mate and his political party.
“All praise is due to Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. It is indeed, by His will that we have lived to witness the transparences of this moment and all the events that preceded this day.
“I wish to express our deep appreciation to the people of Sokoto State for your support and prayers since we began the struggle to reclaim our stolen mandate.
“We also give all gratitude to Allah that today, we have successfully reached the first milestone in our quest to serve the good people of Sokoto State, through participation in the Democratic process.
“Our ambition is to render service, by the approval and mandate of our people through the instrument of a free and fair election. Today’s ruling of the Governorship Election Tribunal is only a stage in our struggle to reclaim that mandate of the electorate, who are confident of our sincerity of purpose and competence to deliver service and good leadership,” he said in a statement.
The statement further read, “I wish to reassure our supporters and the electorate as a whole, that they are part of this struggle, which we shall pursue with all zeal and commitment.
“Let me put it on record that we as a political party and candidates in the 2023 governorship election in Sokoto State, have found the ruling of the tribunal unacceptable. Our legal team is therefore, studying the details of today’s judgement, with a view to determining the appropriate next line of action on our part.
“My running mate and I and indeed our party, recognize the role of our nation’s Judiciary, as the last hope of the common man and we are well aware that it is only through recourse to it that justice can be attained.
“We wish to therefore, call on all of us to remain focused, calm law-abiding and rededicate ourselves to the task of retrieving our mandate through the only civilized instrument that is available to us as lovers of Justice and the rule of law”
