PDP Drags Gov Abubakar Bello, Deputy To Tribunal

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has dragged Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State and his deputy, Alhaji Ahmad Ketso, before the Election Petition Tribunal in the state.

The development was as a result of a stakeholders’ meeting of the party in Minna, convened to advise the party on whether to challenge the victory of All Progressives Congress, APC’s flagbearer, Bello, at the tribunal.

The Advisory Committee is headed by the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Mohammed Ndayako. The committee submitted its report to the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Tanko Beji, on Wednesday and advised the party to seek redress.

Joined in the petition are APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

The petition alleged that Bello and his Deputy, Mohammed, presented fake academic certificates to INEC, adding that there were malpractices during the polls.

According to the petition, “there are glaring discrepancies in the academic certificates presented to INEC, which should have in the first instance led to their disqualification.”

PDP faulted the graduation date on the academic certificate of the governor acquired from the University of Maiduguri and the period he took part in the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme, which allegedly showed that he took part in the NYSC while still in the university.

The party also faulted the certificate presented by the Deputy Governor, which it alleged carried different spellings in his names which he claimed were obtained in Lavun Local Government Area of the state, whereas Ketso was in Mokwa Local Government in 2006 when the certificate was obtained.

PDP also claimed that the Deputy Governor allegedly forged his membership card of the APC by superimposing his name on the original owner, identified as Ajo.