By Editor
The Supreme Court, on Friday, affirmed Malam Rufai Hanga of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, as the Senator Elect for Kano Central Senatorial District.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, held that a former governor of the state, Mr. Ibrahim Shekarau, who had also served a Minister of Education, was not the authentic candidate of the NNPP for the senatorial election that held on February 25.
The judgement followed an appeal that was lodged by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Whereas the lead judgement was prepared by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji, it was however delivered on Friday by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim.
INEC had approached the apex court to challenge the concurrent verdicts of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had earlier affirmed Hanga as the bonafide senatorial candidate of the party for the election.
The courts based their decision on the premise that Shekarau had voluntarily withdrawn his membership of the NNPP and abandoned the senatorial ticket, owing to what he described as his
irreconcilable differences with the leadership of the party.
However, insisting that Shekarau was the name the party duly nominated to it as its senatorial candidate, INEC, took the matter to court, where it lost.
Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed the suit as lacking in merit.
The courts directed INEC to recognize Hanga's candidacy since he was nominated as Shekarau's replacement by the highest decision making body of the NNPP.
Not satisfied with the judgements, INEC further took the case to the Supreme Court, where it also lost on Friday.
It will be recalled that INEC had at the end of the senatorial election, declared that Shekarau won it on the platform of the NNPP.
The action drew flaks for the Commission, even though the former Minister, Shekarau, declined to receive the Certificate of Return as the Senator-elect for Kano Central.
No comments:
Post a Comment