LG Election: Niger Election Tribunal grants legal team of contestants to inspect materials

The Niger State Local Government Election Tribunal has granted two contestants access to inspect election materials at the Niger State Independent Election Commission, NSIEC.

This followed the exparte motion filed before the Niger State local government election petition tribunals by the legal team of the two contestants in the November elections, Barrister Mohammed Tsado and Barrister Emmanuel Egbonoje.

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Already, legal team of the first respondent and APC candidate in the 2025 Rijau Local Government chairmanship election case has begun inspecting election materials, following the approval of their application by the Election Petition Tribunal at the High Court Complex, Minna.

Speaking to journalists, the lawyer to the candidate, Tsado Mohammed, said the tribunal granted their request to inspect all materials used in the November 1, 2025 local government election.

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“We applied to the tribunal for permission to inspect the electoral materials, and the tribunal graciously granted our request.

As you can see, our team of lawyers is here inspecting the ballot boxes one after the other. The ballot papers and result sheets are all intact,” he said.

He explained that the inspection is part of their preparation in case any party that participated in the election decides to file a petition.

“We want to be ready to respond with accurate facts and figures. We requested all used and unused ballot papers, voters’ registers, polling unit agents’ lists, and the declaration of results for the chairmanship election. NSIEC has made all these available to us,” he added.

He noted that the PDP lawyer was also present during the inspection at NSIEC, which he said reflects transparency and fairness in the democratic process.

“We are here on behalf of our candidate, Abdullahi Yakubu Duku, and NSIEC has complied fully with the tribunal’s order,” he said.

The lawyer also clarified the authority of the Election Petition Tribunal.

“The Election Petition Tribunal is a competent court established by law. Its orders are binding on all authorities involved in the election. NSIEC is only complying with the tribunal’s directives,” Liman explained.

He further noted that the tribunal has a 180-day time frame to conclude all petitions, and respondents also have limited time to file their defence.

“That is why we are doing our due diligence now, so we can respond adequately if any petition arises,” he said.

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