The Court of Appeal sitting Abuja has sacked Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State.
The Appellate court in its ruling read by the Chairman of the 3-man panel, Justice Sybil Nwaka Gbagiz declared that the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state was inconclusive.
In a unanimous judgement, the 3-man panel of Justices ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred by relying on its IREV report to declare Governor Lawal who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.
According to the Appeal Court, INEC should have relied on polling unit results.
The court ordered INEC to go back and conduct elections in parts of the state where election did not hold including the whole of Maradun, Birnin-Magaji and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas.
The appeal court ruling reversed the earlier ruling of the Zamfara State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which threw away the petition of the former governor of the state and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bello Matawalle who is now the Minister of State for Defence.