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The Supreme Court docket on Friday declared Rufai Hanga the senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Get together (NNPP) and senator-elect for Kano Central Senatorial District.
The Supreme Court docket nullified the candidacy of Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, who defected from the NNPP to the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP) within the build-up to the overall elections final 12 months.
Mr Shekarau was the flagbearer of the NNPP for the Kano Central Senatorial zone earlier than he ditched the social gathering for the PDP.
However Mr Shekarau’s title remained on the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC)’s portal for candidates within the 25 February Nationwide Meeting election.
Mr Shekarau was reportedly absent when INEC issued certificates of return to senators-elect from throughout the nation in Abuja on 7 March.
Delivering judgment on an attraction filed earlier than it by INEC, the Supreme Court docket affirmed the selections of the Federal Excessive Court docket and the Court docket of Attraction each in Abuja which had upheld the candidature of Mr Hanga because the standard-bearer NNPP.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court docket in a ready by Uwani Aba-Aji however learn by Emmanuel Agim, mentioned INEC’s attraction lacked advantage and substance.
Mr Agim dismissed the attraction in its entirety.
Background
Mr Shekarau defected from the NNPP to the PDP in September 2022.
However, on 28 March, INEC declared Mr Shekarau winner of the Kano Central Senatorial District election on the platform of NNPP regardless of his resignation from the social gathering earlier than the 25 February presidential and Nationwide Meeting elections.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that INEC’s returning officer for Kano Central District, Tijjani Darma, mentioned Mr Shekarau garnered 456,787 votes.
READ ALSO: Kano APC Disaster: What we mentioned with Tinubu – Shekarau
Mr Darma, a professor, mentioned the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Abdulkarim Abdulsalam, got here second within the election with 168, 677 votes, whereas PDP’s Laila Buhari polled 55,237 votes.
However, after the declaration of the outcomes, NNPP agent, Shehu Usman, rejected Mr Shekarau’s emergence as winner of the ballot. He alleged that INEC refused to exchange Mr Shekarau’s title with Mr Hanga’s.
Referencing the selections of the Federal Excessive Court docket and the Court docket of Attraction, Mr Usman mentioned INEC was ordered to just accept Mr Hanga’s title and substitute it with Mr Shekarau’s for the ballot.
But, the electoral umpire refused to adjust to the orders.
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