BREAKING: Appeal Court sacks Nasarawa Speaker, Ibrahim Balarabe

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has sacked the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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Newstrends reports that in a judgement delivered on Tuesday, the court declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Sa’ad Abdullahi Ibrahim (Turakin-Opanda), as the rightful winner of the election for Umaisha/Ugya State Constituency.

Breaking! Appeal Court affirms Sim Fubara’s victory

The State and National Assembly Appeal Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday affirmed the election of Governor Siminalayi Fubara in the March 18 2023 governorship election.

The Appeal Court in a unanimous decision dismissed four separate appeals filed against the governor.

The appeals were filed by Patrick Tonye-Cole of the All Progressives Congress, Beatrice Itubo of the Labour Party, Innocent Ekwu of the Allied Peoples Movement and Lulu Briggs Dumo of Accord Party.

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The court held that all the appellants failed to prove the allegation of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The court also faulted the tribunal for dismissing Tonye-Cole’s appeal on the ground that APC sponsored him and had withdrawn the petition against Governor Fubara’s victory.

The appellate court further held that the fact that the APC withdrew its petition against Fubara’s victory does not prevent its candidate, Tony-Cole, from pursuing his appeal.

Breaking! Appeal Court affirms Sim Fubara’s victory

Niger: Appeal Court sacks PDP lawmaker, declares APC winner

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has sacked Suleiman Wanchiko of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of Bida I (North) State Constituency election in Niger and declared Bako Kasim of All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.

The three-member panel, while delivering the judgment through Justice Bature Isa-Gafai, held Wanchiko’s appeal was unmeritorious.

The appellate court agreed with Kasim’s counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, that Wanchiko, having presented a forged testimonial to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ought to be disqualified from contesting the election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had declared Wanchiko the winner of the Bida I (North) Constituency poll for the Niger State House of Assembly election conducted on March 18.

The electoral umpire had declared Wanchiko as the winner with 12, 062 votes as against 11, 820 votes scored by Kasim.

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Dissatisfied with the INEC’s declaration, Kasim and APC, through their Counsel, Mr Usman, approached the state’s election petition tribunal via petition number: EPT/NG/SHA/11/2023 between Bako Kasim and another Vs. Suleiman Muhammad Wanchiko and another.

Kasim filed the petition on the grounds that Wanchiko was not qualified to contest in the election in that he submitted forged testimonial to INEC and that the election was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.

At the end of trial, the tribunal found merit in the petitioners’ arguments and disqualified Wanchiko and ordered a re-run without him.

Not satisfied with the judgment of the tribunal, Wanchiko, through his counsel, Aliyu Lemu, SAN, approached the Court of Appeal, praying the court to set aside the decision of the tribunal.

But Kasim’s lawyer urged the court to dismiss the appeal and return his client as the winner of the election.

The appellate court upheld Usman’s argument that Wanchiko, having been disqualified, the proper order was to return Kasim as the winner of the poll and directed INEC to issue him a Certificate of Return.

Niger: Appeal Court sacks PDP lawmaker, declares APC winner

(NAN)