The Supreme Court has sacked Senator Ibrahim Shekarau as the senator-elect for Kano Central senatorial district.
In a judgement prepared by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the five-man panel of justices unanimously found that Shekarau was not the authentic candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the election.
The apex court also recognised Senator Rufa’i Hanga as the authentic candidate of the party and therefore senator-elect for the senatorial district.
Shekarau, who is a serving senator, had been nominated to vie for the Kano Central seat by the NNPP.
Before the election was held, he quit the party and abandoned his senatorial ambition to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insisted on recognising Shekarau as the party’s flagbearer for the February 25 election.
The NNPP approached the Federal High Court to compel INEC to recognise Hanga as the party’s candidate for the election.
The Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled in the party’s favour but INEC appealed to the Supreme Court.
In its Friday ruling, the apex court held that INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and therefore dismissed it in its entirety.
Leave a Reply