The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has invalidated the election of Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, paving the way for a rerun in three local government areas. 

The Independent National Electoral Commission had initially declared Lawal, running under the Peoples Democratic Party banner, as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.

However, Bello Matawalle, a former governor of the state and current Minister of State for Defence, representing the All Progressives Congress, challenged Lawal’s victory. The Election Petition Tribunal upheld Lawal’s election, but Matawalle persisted in his pursuit of justice, taking the matter to the Court of Appeal.

On Thursday, a three-member panel of justices, after careful deliberation, annulled Lawal’s victory, citing irregularities in the electoral process within three specific local government areas: Maradun, Birnin Magaji, and Bukuyun.

The court ordered a rerun of the election in these affected LGAs to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.