- A Federal High Court disqualified Kawu Sumaila as duly elected member of the House of Reps
- The court also ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return it earlier presented to Sumaila
- Sumaila was disqualified on the premise that he did not participate in the APC primary election which was a prerequisite for contesting in the main election
A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has reportedly disqualified Alhaji AbdulRahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila as the duly elected member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the APC in the February 23, 2019 general elections.
Daily Trust reports that the court, presided over by Justice Lewis Allagoa, also ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return it earlier presented to Sumaila and issue same to Alhaji Muhammad Shamsuddeen Bello Dambazau.
Justice Allagoa averred that Sumaila did not participate in the APC primary election which was a prerequisite for contesting in the main election.
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“The INEC should recognise Dambazau as duly elected member of the House of Representatives representing Takai/Sumaila Federal Constituency,” Allagoa declared.
The case was a pre-election matter brought before the court by Dambazau challenging the candidacy of Sumaila in the National Assembly election.
The plaintiff, Dambazau dragged INEC, APC and Sumaila before Justice Allagoa challenging the recognition of Sumaila as the APC House of Representatives candidate for Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency.
Dambazau, who is a son to the current minister of interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, told the court through his Counsel, Barr. Nuraini Jimoh, that Sumaila contested for Kano South Senatorial seat alongside Sen. Kabiru Gaya and lost to the latter at the primary.
When contacted, Kawu Sumaila said he would appeal the verdict as soon as his lawyers finished studying the judgment.
His words: “Initially, I was not interested in appealing the verdict, my supporters insisted that we should appeal, and you know in politics one has to go by the opinion of his supporters. It was based on this that I directed my lawyers to study the judgement and appeal it on my behalf."
Sumaila is a former senior special assistant to President Muhammad Buhari on House of Representatives Affairs.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Amiru Tukur Idris, the member of the House of Representatives for Bakori/ Danja constituency was on Thursday, April 18, sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Katsina state.
Justice Hadiza Shagari, in her ruling on the case, said all the seven reliefs sought by the applicant, Engr Yakubu Nuhu Danja, had been granted.
The report quoted the justice as saying the substitution of the plaintiff’s name with that of Amiru Tukur, who is the second defendant in the case, remained null and void.
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Source: Legit.ng
