Senator Sunday Marshall Katung, representing the Kaduna South senatorial zone, was affirmed as the valid winner of the zone’s senatorial election by the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Saturday.
A three-member panel, presided over by Justice Moore A. A. Adumein, unanimously upheld the judgment of the National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Kaduna.
The tribunal, in its decision, dismissed the petition of the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Michael Ayuba Auta, deeming it lacking in merit.
The Appeal Court affirmed the tribunal’s decision, stating that it was right in upholding Senator Sunday Marshall Katung’s victory from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Adumein remarked, “Even a casual reading of the judgment reveals that the tribunal was very articulate and thorough in its decision.”
He further noted that the tribunal’s decision was correct in its assessment that Michael Ayuba Auta failed to prove that the election was invalid due to corrupt practices.
The court held that Michael Ayuba Auta of the Labour Party couldn’t substantiate the criminal allegation of allocating unlawful votes to the winner of the February 25th election.
The court, upon dismissing the appeal, imposed a fine of N600,000 against Michael Ayuba Auta in favor of Senator Sunday Marshall Katung, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the PDP.
