It’s no longer news that the incumbent governor of Zamfara state Bello Matawalle has been defeated by the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dauda Lawal Dare.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the election, Professor Kasimu Shehu, while declaring the final results, said Dare scored 377,726 votes to defeat Matawalle, who polled 311,976 votes.
Lawal’s victory has been celebrated by many PDP supporters who described his victory as God’s will considering the many legal battles he faced prior to the March 18th election.
However, Lawal’s victory did not come on a silver platter. The road to success was pretty rough for the former First Bank director, who fought four legal battles up till two weeks to the poll before he was finally affirmed as the PDP governorship candidate.
Lawal’s road to Victory
Initially the Federal High Court in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, nullified the primary election that produced him as the PDP candidate.
Recall that Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, a former federal lawmaker, , had approached the court to nullify the primary electio that produced Lawal, saying the election was marred by irregularities.
Justice Aminu Bappa nullified the May 25, 2022 primary and ordered that a rerun be held.
The governor-elect had to seek legal help to have the Federal High Court judgement’s nullified.
Although Lawal won the rerun, his victory was put on hold as Gusau went back to the same court to contest the exercise.
Again, Justice Bappa nullified the rerun and even added a shocker: PDP would not field any candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state, he had ruled.
The rerun was nullified on the grounds of irregularities and non-compliance with the party’s 2017 constitution as well as its electoral guidelines for the conduct of elections.
Lawal didn’t give up. He, Adamu Maina-Waziri, the Chairman Primary Election Committee and Col. Bala Mande (retd) approached the Appeal Court Division in Sokoto to seek redress.
Reprieve came in 2023
After many back and forth, the appellate court in a unanimous judgment read by Justice Abubakar Talba nullified the Federal High Court ruling and reinstated Lawal as the PDP candidate for the 2023 guber election.
The respondents in the suit were Gusau, Alhaji Wadatau Madawaki, Hafiz Nahuche and INEC.
Justice Talba held that the appellants succeeded in proving all the seven grounds of appeal canvassed by their counsel and that the court resolved all in their favour.
The presiding judge held that the lower court was wrong to discountenance documents submitted by INEC, adding that it (the trial court) did not stipulate the period of conducting rerun election and notices of participation.
Supreme Court Came Through For Governor-Elect
Not done with the Governor- elect, Gusau again appealed the ruling at the supreme court but the ruling came out in favour of Mr Lawal when the apex court upheld the Appeal court’s ruling.
The court, in a unanimous decision by a five-man panel of justices, dismissed Gusau’s appeal, challenging the legality of the primary election. Justice Inyang Okoro who read the lead judgement said the appeal lacked merit.
“The court resolved all the issues for determination against the Appellant and held that the appeal was unmeritorious and the same was dismissed. Parties were ordered to bear their respective costs,” Okoro said.