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Tag: Kaduna state

  • Police nab soldier selling ammunition to kidnappers, 61 others in Kaduna

    Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a 32 old Nigerian Army soldier, Lance Corporal Koza Yabiliok, for allegedly selling ammunitions to suspected kidnappers.

    The command has also arrested 61 other criminal suspects for various offences across the state in the last two weeks.

    Lance Corporal Yabiliok serving in one of the military units in Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna State, told newsmen while he was being paraded by the police that he sold each of the live ammunition for N400.

    He however said he never knew his customer was a kidnapper until they were arrested by the police. “He told me that, he needed the ammunitions for protection of their cattle against rustlers. That is why I sold them to him. I never knew he is a kidnapper.”

    Read Also: Police arrest corporal for ‘killing man’

    Speaking earlier on the arrest, Commissioner of Police, Ali Aji Janga, said the 62 suspects were arrested for different crimes ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, culpable homicide and cattle rustling, among others.

    He said different kinds of arms, ammunitions and other dangerous weapons and other items, including vehicles and drugs, were recovered from the suspects.

    “Suspects arrested include; eight (8) suspects for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, car snatching and illegal possession of live ammunition; four (4) suspects for criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, illegal possession of fire arms and ammunition and cattle rustling; three (3) suspects for criminal conspiracy, causing hurt, armed robbery and illegal possession of fire arms, etc..

    The suspects, he said, are aiding investigation and will be prosecuted on completion of investigations.

  • I am for state police, says el-Rufai

    The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai on Friday said he supports the agitation for State Police.

    He said in an under-police country, State Police is imperative.

    He said having chaired the All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on True Federalism, he said he could not have opposed State Police.

    El-Rufai made the clarifications against the backdrop of disagreement by governors at a meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The governor faulted THE NATION’s report on his position at the NGF meeting.

    A statement by el-Rufai’s Senior Special Assistant  (Media & Publicity), Samuel Aruwan said:  “The attention of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has been drawn to the blatant misrepresentation of his position on state police in a false report published in The Nation newspaper.

    “On Friday, 21 June 2019, The Nation reported that Nigeria’s Governors have reached agreement on state police. In its usual style of attributing its lies to anonymous sources, The Nation alleged that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai expressed opposition to state police during the meeting.

    “This falsehood is incongruous to the publicly articulated position of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on state police. How can a man who chaired a committee that recommended the adoption of state police in 2017 credibly be alleged to be against it?

    Read Also: El-Rufai creates ministry for security, two new others

    “Even the sheer logic of his own lived experience as governor of a state confronting security challenges suggests a pragmatic embrace of state and community policing.

    “ In an under-policed country crying out for more police officers, new technology and modern paradigms of securing communities, adopting state police is imperative.”

    El-Rufai  said the NGF was looking into the report of the APC Committee on True Federalism.

    The statement added: “Since the submission of the report of the APC Committee on True Federalism, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has been engaged in advocacy for its recommendations.

    “At its last meeting, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) accepted a proposal  to set up a bi-partisan committee of Governors to pursue the implementation of the recommendations of the APC True Federalism committee. But that NGF committee is yet to be set up.”

    The governor condemned some reports of THE NATION on him since during the tenure of ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua.

    The statement added: “The Nation’s comedic reportage of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s lecture to the Bridge Club is still fresh in the memory. The Nation went overboard in its obsequious worship of personality rather than principle.

    “The paper went further to report fiction on the election of the new chair of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. This is a continuation of the paper’s long history of traducing Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

    “ In the Yar’Adua years, The Nation was the major mouthpiece for every lie that some persons wanted to disseminate about El-Rufai.

    “The paper may not take itself seriously as a newspaper any longer, given its wanton propensity to trivialize matters when it is not reporting fiction.

    “ But Mallam Nasir El-Rufai reserves his legal options to seek redress for this deliberate and practised pattern of dressing fables as reportage.”

     

  • El-Rufai promises tight security

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has assured National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members deployed in the state of his commitment to their welfare and security.

    The scheme deployed 2,2002 Batch “B” (Stream I) corps members to the state and they are in camp for a 21-day orientation course.

    El-Rufai said the orientation course opened at the Sabon Gaya permanent orientation camp of the scheme.

    The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing an enabling environment for Nigerian youths to attain their full potential in life.

    El-Rufai recently started the construction of a two-storey hostel for male corps members at the camp and promised to add another block for female corps members to address the accommodation challenge at the camp.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Nana Kande Bage, the governor said: “Let me reassure you that security of life and property of all citizens in our dear state remains the top priority of my administration.”

    Read Also: El-Rufai creates ministry for security, two new others

    The new NYSC State Coordinator, Mallam Isa Wana, reminded the corps members that the orientation course was regimented.

    He added that all the guidelines and bylaws governing the camp activities must be strictly followed.

    The coordinator, who expressed appreciation to the state government’s commitment to the development of infrastructure at the acpm, urged the governor to accelerate work on the camp’s pavilion, a structure used for major events at the camp.

    He said: “We appreciate the state government for the renewed efforts in addressing the infrastructural changes of the Black Gold camp, as exemplified by the ongoing construction work on the two-storey hostel block for male corps members.

    “In the same vein, I wish to draw the attention of the government to the state of work on the camp pavilion. Reconstruction and expansion of the old pavilion suffered a setback after a rain storm pulled down pillars erected to build the structure.

    “I wish to appeal to the state government to put in place remedial measures to complete the project in order to give the camp a venue that will be more conducive for our key functions and events.”

     

  • Governors endorse state police to fight criminals

    State police agitators seem to be winning their age-long battle.

    Governors, faced with mounting security challenges – banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, among others – have agreed to push for a law to facilitate a state police system, The Nation learnt on Thursday.

    But, not all governors at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday agreed to join the state police train. Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai declined. He feels Nigeria is not yet ripe for the idea.

    To accommodate all, the governors resolved that once the law is in place, every state will be free to fix the timeline it will put its State Police Force in place based on availability of resources.

    The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) will soon present a memo to the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee, which will be headed by Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege.

    Governors have decided to secure President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for their plan. He had inaugurated a committee to review similar recommendations on State Police.

    The Nation learnt that the governors arrived at their position on State Police at a session in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Their position was later taken to the National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday in Abuja.

    A source at the session said: “At our pre-NEC meeting, we weighed all options on the security challenges in the country and we reached an agreement that State Police System is likely to be one of the solutions to the problems at hand.

    “We took stock of the fact that Nigeria is one of the countries with federalism without state police. In other federal jurisdictions like the United States (U.S.), India and others, there are federal, state, municipal and county police systems.

    “We discussed the implications of State Police and came into the conclusion that it will not affect our unity, diversity and cohesion as a nation. Rather, good security apparatchik will give a sense of belonging to all and promote economic integration.

    “We will seek the understanding of President Muhammadu Buhari. We want his buy-in since we can longer leave the security problems to the Federal Government.

    “We need to devolve our police system for efficiency and better results. We have had enough of a Unitary Police Structure. This is why we are having many security challenges.

    “What we are proposing will not in any way affect the federal police structure that we have in place now. State police will work in synergy with the federal police.”

    El-Rufai is said to have felt strongly that Nigeria is not yet ripe for state police, considering our ethnic, religious and political colourations.

    “He suspected that the system is capable of being abused in a partisan political environment like Nigeria,” the source said.

    Another governor spoke on some factors which may impede the implementation of State Police, especially funding and how to go about the implementation of the state police.

    He said: “The only hurdle we anticipated at our meeting was how to fund state police in view of the scarce resources in a receding economy.

    “We, therefore, opted to allow each state to choose the timeline it prefers to start the State Police System based on exigencies and the resources available to it. For instance, while Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, Oyo, and Kano states can easily bankroll State Police, insolvent states like Kogi, Zamfara, and many others may take some years to join it.”

    A governor from the North-Central, who also confided in our correspondent, said: “Some work has been done by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in the past. We will just activate what we have done, fine-tune our proposals in line with new trends and unveil our blueprint.”

    After securing the support of the President, the NGF will send a memo to the National Assembly Constitution Review Committee which will be headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege.

    “We will then embark on the lobbying of the lawmakers to effect amendments to the 1999 Constitution to place Police on Concurrent List which will allow the establishment of State Police,” the source said, requesting not to be named.

    The governors will also lean on a bill on State Police, which was sponsored by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila when he was the House Majority Leader.

    The 8th House of Representatives on July 4, 2018 received from Gbajabiamila a bill to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow State Police.

    The bill sought to amend Section 214 (1) of the 1999 Constitution by deleting the phrase “and subject to the provisions of this section no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof” immediately after the word “force”.

    New sections 215 and 216 were also to be created by amending the existing sections 217 and 218 to spell out the structure and operations of the proposed state police.

    The details of the bill are as follows: “217. (1)  “There shall be a police force in each state of the Federation.

    (2) Subject to the provisions of this constitution – (a) a state Police Force shall be organized and administered in accordance with such provisions as may be prescribed by an act of the State House of Assembly; (b) members of state Police shall have such powers and duties as may be conferred upon them by law.”

    “218. (1) “There shall be – (a) a Commissioner of Police who shall be appointed by the governor on the advice of the State Police Council from among serving members of the State Police Force;

    “(2) The State Police Force shall be under the command of the State Commissioner of Police.

    “(3) The governor or such other commissioner of the government of the state as he may authorise in that behalf may give to the Commissioner of Police such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or cause them to be compiled with.

    “219. (1) Subject to the provisions of this constitution, the State House of Assembly may make laws for the further regulation and control of the State Police.

    Read Also: Ozekhome: President should approve state police

    “The Principal Act is hereby amended by rearranging the existing sections 217 to 320 as sections 220 to 323.

    “The Principal Act is hereby amended by deleting item 45 from the exclusive legislative list in part 1 of the second schedule of the constitution.

    “That the entire items on the Exclusive Legislative List in part 1 of the second schedule of the constitution is hereby rearranged and renumbered as items 1 to 67 with the exclusion of the deleted item under this Bill.”

    The bill also proposed to amend the constitution by creating a new Section 21 in part 2 of the Second Schedule to give powers to state Houses of Assembly to create state police commands.

    Section 21 reads, “(1) The National Assembly may make laws for the Federation or any part thereof with respect to- (a) Police force and other government security services in respect of anything pertaining to internal security and the maintenance of law and order in Nigeria; and (b) Regulation of ownership and control of Federal Police and other government security services.

    “(2)   A House of Assembly of a state may make laws with respect to: a. The creation, formation or/and establishment of Police Force and other security services in respect of any matter pertaining to internal security and the maintenance of law and order within that state and with regard to the enforcement of any law validly made by the House of Assembly of that state.

    “b. Regulation of ownership and control of State Police and other state government’s security services.

    “The Principal Act is hereby amended by renumbering the existing section 21 to 30 of part 2 of the second schedule of the constitution as numbers 22 to 31.”

     

  • Kaduna: Governorship tribunal adjourns to June 17

    The Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned to tomorrow, June 17th, hearing in the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the re-election of Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

    The adjournment was to allow respondents in the petition study and verify the documents presented as evidence by the practitioners.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ibrahim Bako, said at the resumed hearing of the petition that the three respondents, El-Rufa’i, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were not privy to the documents brought before the tribunal by the petitioners.

    According to him, the respondents would need time to study the documents assembled by the petitioners to prepare their responses.

    Read Also: Kaduna’s bold move to regulate preaching

    Documents presented by the petitioners include Certified True Copies (CTC) of INEC result sheets and voters’ registers used during the March 9 polls.

    Bako said the tribunal, on the adjourned date, will admit those petitioners’ documents certified by the three respondents as evidence, while those they disagreed on would be presented for argument by counsel to the parties.

    Counsel to the PDP, Elisha Kurah (SAN), told newsmen shortly after the adjournment that the party had assembled 685 witnesses to testify within the two weeks given by the tribunal.

    Kurah said the petitioners had all the needed documentary evidence and witnesses to prove their case before the tribunal.

    “And by the time the votes in the areas affected by  violence, rigging and other irregularities are removed, the PDP and its candidate, Isah Ashiru, would have majority votes in the March 9 poll,” he claimed.

    The PDP and its governorship candidate are challenging the return of Gov. El-Rufa’i of the APC as declared by INEC.

    The petitioners alleged that the March 9 governorship poll was characterised by irregularities, massive rigging and violence in some parts of the state.

     

     

  • Police deploy undercover operatives for Eid-el-Fitr in Kaduna

    As part of measures to ensure secured and peaceful Eid-el-Fitr celebration, Kaduna State Police Command said it has deployed Mobile and undercover operatives to vulnerable points.

    This was as the Command asked parents to warn their children against the use of all forms of firework (knockout) and not to allow them to be used by intending mischief fabricators.

    The police in a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo said, “The Kaduna State Police Command wishes to inform members of the general public that, it has drawn out elaborate Operation Order/strategies to checkmate activities of criminal elements during Eid-el-Fitri period throughout the state.

    Read Also: Eid-el-Fitri: Oyetola provides free train from Lagos

    “In this regards, the Command has deployed both conventional and Mobile Policemen as well as undercover Operatives to man and monitor Key/Vulnerable Points with a view to ensure tight security across the state.

    “The Command once-again reassure the good people of Kaduna State of its readiness to promptly respond to distress call and decisively deal with any person or group of persons who in any way attempt to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere during the festive period.

    “The Command further urges parent/guardians to be vigilant, monitor and warn their children/wards against the use of all forms of firework (knockout) and not to allow them to be used by intending mischief fabricators during the festive epoch, as anybody arrested will face the full wrath of law.

    “Members of the public are enjoined to report any suspicious movement/object noticed in your area to the nearest security formation or call the following numbers/use these platforms

  • Police arrest suspected kidnappers who abducted four expatriates, killed police escorts

    Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team, IRT, have arrested two members of an alleged kidnap gang, for  abducting  two Americans and two Canadians  in Kaduna State in 2018.

    Sources said four other members of the gang, including its leader , identified simply as Dogo, were gunned down when the policemen  stormed the gang’s camp located in a forest in Kuiere near Kagarko Local Government area of Kaduna State.

    IThe gang was trailed by IRT operatives, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to Kagarko forest, and an exchange of  gunfire ensued, during which two members of the gang, Abdulmumini Adamu and Usman Abdulahi escaped bonly to be arrested  later in Kano and Kaduna States.

    It was gathered that the operatives trailed Adamu to Kano State through the aid of information they gathered from the his camp in Kuiere area of Kaduna State , while Abdulahi was caught in his farm, where he had gone to hide .

    Recalling their complicity in the kidnapping, Adamu, 20, a native of Igabi Local Government in Kaduna State, said he took active part in the kidnapping of the expatriates and police escorts, Abdulahi, said he was the person supplying food to the kidnappers.

    “ I am a farmer and a herder. My boss, Dogo, got me involved into kidnapping and in my first  operation we killed two policemen and  took away their rifles and they eventually kidnapped four white people, two of them were  American expatriates  but I don’t know the nationality of the  others two.  We attacked the expatriates along Jere Road at the Southern Kaduna area of the State and an informant gave us the job.

    Read Also: Police arrest six suspected illegal money traders in Abuja

    ‘’Nine of us persons took part in the attack and five of us were armed with AK-47 rifles while four of us were holding sticks. I was holding a stick, while the people who had guns were in front and when the vehicle got to where we were, my bosses and those with guns started firing and they forced the vehicle conveying the expatriates to a stop.

    ‘We then killed the policemen providing escorts to the expatriates at the spot; we took them into the bush and we trekked all through the night until we got to the camp in Kuiere, Kaduna State. The expatriates spent three days with us in the camp and we fed them with rice and beans and they ate three times daily and we also gave them bottled- water to drink because they were white people. One of our gang members who  speaks English  contacted the people that paid the ransom.

    ‘’I don’t know the amount he demanded, but I suspected the amount was around N100 million, but I don’t know the exact amount that was paid.  I got N5million as my share after the ransom was paid.

    ‘’I bought some cows with my share of the ransom and they are presently with my brother in my village. I was arrested 10 days, after the police burst our camp and I fled Kano State.

    I was in Kano State to visit my friend and I didn’t know that the police were on my trail and I was shocked they caught me in my friend’s house.’’

    Confessing, Abdulahi, 26 said: “ I am married two wives. I am from Kagaroko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, I am a farmer and herder. I am not a kidnapper but I supply food items and food cooking ingredients to feed the kidnappers. Even when they kidnapped the white men I supplied food items with which they were fed. The first time, they didn’t allow me to see the white people. They stopped me at a distance and took the food items from me.

    ‘’On the second day I took the food items to the kidnappers. When I got there they brought out two of them and took them to a section of the camp where they could make calls and contact their relatives for a ransom.

    ‘’It was Abdulmumu that contacted me to supply food for the kidnappers and he is the only member of the gang that knows me and he gave me the sum of N1million as my share after the ransom was paid,’’ he added.

  • Kaduna Guber Tribunal strikes out PDP’s votes recount application

    The Kaduna State governorship election petition tribunal on Tuesday struck out People’s Democratic Party (PDP) application for the recount of votes of March 9 governorship election won by All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State.

    PDP’s Candidate, Hon. Mohammed Isa Ashiru lost the governorship election and decided to challenge the victory of Nasir El-Rufai of APC at the tribunal.

    The PDP candidate had earlier applied for the recount of ballot in some polling units and wards of Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Zaria, Sabon Gari, Makarfi, Kudan, Kubau, Soba and Ikara local government areas won by the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the concluded election.

    In his ruling, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ibrahim M. Bako noted that the court does not have the power to grant the application for the recount of ballot papers.

    This was even as the tribunal fixed June 15, 2019 for continuation of hearing of the case.

    However, speaking to journalists after the court’s ruling, counsel to  Ashiru, Elesha Kurah (SAN) said the legal team will study the ruling and take necessary action.

    Kurah who frowned at the ruling said it is strange because other tribunals have done that ‎in the past and also with court of appeal in a number of cases.

    According to him, “So, we wonder at this stage why the tribunal would say it doesn’t have the power to recount. We have to take It up ‎so that the issue will be trashed out”, he said.

    Read Also: Kidnappers of Kaduna Pastor, 16 others demand N15M ransom

    The legal luminary argued that tribunal has inherent powers to grant the recount, saying that the court of appeal has even agreed that they have the powers.

    He said the claim of the court not to have powers to grant the application and to assume that there is no specific provision in the electoral act that talks about recount is strange.

    While quoting section 6(17) of the constitution, he said the inherent powers ‎of the court is clear, explaining that judicial powers conferred on the court ‎to do justice to the case and this one cannot be an exception.

    But counsel to Nasiru El-Rufai of APC, Abdulhakeen Mustapha (SAN) expressed satisfaction with the ruling, saying the PDP’s motion lacks merit.‎ ‎

    According to him, the court found no merit in the application and it was dismissed.‎

     

  • Re: El-Rufai the godfather slayer

    Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in fairness to him can be very correct in some of his usual outbursts – except that he often lacks tact in presenting them.

    Aside the fact that he seems to have directed his attack at a particular person and in a manner that equally contradicted himself too, there is actually nothing wrong in condemning the issue of godfatherism in the land, which has largely been the bane of our politics for some time now.

    Liberal democracy which we subscribe to is one in which an aspirant should be free to emerge on his own through the platform of a party of his choice without passing through a godfather without whom he would be doomed to fail.

    Such type of politics aside having the potential of blocking the emergence of gifted, brilliant and visionary leaders, always tends to throw up corrupt political leaders in cycles. A governor of a state, for example, after appropriating so much funds meant for the development of his state while in office, can only allow a successor who he is certain would cover his tracks.

    To him, it doesn’t really matter how incompetent the anointed godson is, or how suitable other contenders for the seat might be. It doesn’t stop there, he must equally aim at controlling the administration of the state by proxy outside office. We all know the nature of conflicts that have always ensued between godfathers and godsons, which have often constituted a serious cog in the running of the affairs of the states whenever the latter decide to be their own men.

    Such politics is anti-people and shouldn’t be accommodated even at federal level. This is the point I think El-Rufai was trying to register in his Lagos Bridge Club sermon. But he equally saw that as an opportunity to launch out at those he may have had some political axe to grind with – as his method has been. 

    • From Emmanuel Egwu, Unwana, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi State

  • Kaduna Guber: Court rules on votes recount next week

    The Kaduna State governorship election petition tribunal has adjourned to Tuesday, May 27, 2019 for ruling on the motion for recount of ballot papers brought before it by the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Isa Muhammad Ashiru.

    The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ibrahim M. Bako adjourned the sitting after hot debate for and against the recount motion filed by the PDP’s governorship candidate.

    Counsels to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Nasir el-Rufai and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Messr Aliyu Umar SAN, Abdulhakeem Mustapha SAN and Lawal Bawa argued against the recounting motion at the resume of the pre-trial on Saturday.

    It would be recalled that the petitioners, Ashiru and PDP, on Tuesday, May 14, filed a motion seeking the Tribunal to order for the recount of the entire ballot in the March 9 governorship poll in the state.

    Justice Bako had adjourned to Saturday, May 25, 2019 to allow the three respondents in the PDP petition, Gov-Elect, Malam El-Rufai , APC and INEC to file their responses.

    Also, at the resumed hearing in the motion which is part of the pre-hearing sittings, the PDP applied to amend its earlier application for the recount of the entire ballot to 12 local government areas mostly in the central and northern parts of the state.

    The petitioners however applied for the recount in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Zaria, Sabon Gari, Makarfi, Kudan, Kubau, Soba and Ikara local government areas, mostly won by the APC.

    Mr. Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) told newsmen after the adjournment that: “what we have done this morning is to move the motion for the ballot recount, which is to recount the ballot papers in certain local government areas where we are saying that votes were simply allocated.

    Read Also: Protest rocks Kaduna as police stray bullet kills resident

    “We are saying that in order to meet the justice of the case, it is proper to have that recount. We are surprise that INEC who conducted the election and respondents who said they have won the election, would shy of wanting that recount to be done.

    “The application we have done in the court is been done in the past, they even cited the case of Oshomhole and INEC were recounting was done and it has been done in other cases.

    “So it is something that we know in our jurisprudents. We just want recount and whatever the result turns out to be we will be happy and abide by it.

    “We also filed motions to strike out certain paragraph of their response, because once those paragraphs are struck out, they will definitely have nothing to respond too,“ Ukala said.

    However, Counsel to INEC, Mr.  Aliyu Umar (SAN) said there was a motion asking for recount by the petitioner, but was opposed to by the respondents.

    “And a ruling is going to be delivered on Tuesday next week on whether or not there is going to be a recount of those ballot papers.

    “We opposed the recount because, in all legal contest especially election matters, you are supposed to state the fact upon which you are challenging the election.

    “There are normally three grounds to challenge the outcome of an election, which are non-compliance, corrupt practices or the person declared was not elected by majority of lawful votes. They now lump up these three processes together.” Umar said.

    Mr. Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), Counsel to El-Rufai also told newsmen that: “we also opposed to that application because it is not in consonance with the extant provisions of the relevant electoral laws.

    “What they are trying to do is that through the back door, move the court to grant an application that will decide the matter at the preliminary stage.

    “We opposed to it and we marshaled our point that, this is not the right time for that type of application,” Mustapha said.