By Becky Usman

On Saturday, the Department of State Services (DSS) prevented journalists from covering the judgment of the Sokoto State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The DSS operatives, citing instructions from higher authorities, only granted access to journalists from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and state-owned media outlets, restricting others from entering the courtroom at the High Court where the verdict was being delivered.

The background to this development lies in the declaration of Governor Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 18 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sa’idu Umar, had filed a petition with the tribunal, contesting Aliyu’s victory on grounds of alleged non-qualification and electoral fraud.

The three-member panel of judges, led by Justice Haruna Mshelia, was responsible for rendering the tribunal’s decision.