Judgment has been adjourned indefinitely in the appeal filed by the defeated gubernatorial Candidate of the Democratic People’s Party DPP in 2008 re-run governorship election, Alh. Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi against the incumbent governor of Sokoto State Alh. Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.

2.    According to the five man panel of judges of the Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto State today, the adjournment was to allow for the determination of a petition written by lawyers of Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko before the national judicial council.

3.    The judges said, their integrity would be at stake if they had gone ahead with judgment as earlier scheduled and also the action might have been interpreted to mean miscarriage of justice.

4.    Earlier in their submissions, the counsels to Governor Wamakko Mr Jacob Ochidi and INEC Yahaya Mahmod  urged he court to stay action on the case in view of the very serious allegations contained in the petitions before the National Judicial Council, pointing out that, the court should  not be in a hurry to deliver judgment given the facts that the three months within which they have to complete hearing on the case has not elapsed.

5.    It will be recalled that Alh. Wamakko had challenged at the Supreme Court the jurisdictional powers of the Court of Appeal to review by what ever name, the judgment earlier given in 2008 by a court of parallel jurisdiction, the Court of Appeal , Kaduna.

6.    Alh. Aliyu Wamakko’s counsels had also written a petition to the National Judicial Council in which he alleged that, some judges in the panel may have compromised their positions. 

7.    While soon after the court session today in Sokoto the entire State erupted in ecstasy as large number of the citizens swarmed all streets clapping and singing in jubilation.  

8.    Observers had exercised fears that Sokoto State would have witnessed an unprecedented outbreak of violence if the Panel had gone on to delibrate in flagrant disregard of the directive of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Katsina-Alu that deliberations be stopped pending investigations into allegations raised by Gov. Wammako's lawyers.