*Voids Ibrahim Shekarau candidacy
The Supreme Court on Friday in Abuja affirmed the candidate of Malam Rufai Hanga and as the Senator Elect for Kano Central Senatorial District of Kano State under the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP.
The Apex Court kicked out a former Kano state governor and former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau as the candidate of the NNPP in the February 25 National Assembly Election.
Delivering Judgment In an appeal brought before it by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, the Apex Court upheld the Judgments of a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal both in Abuja which had earlier upheld the candidature of Rufai Hanga as the Senatorial candidate of the party.
In the Judgment prepared by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, the Supreme Court held that the INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and thereafter dismissed it in it’s entirety.
The Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had in their previous judgments upheld Rufai Hanga as the Senatorial Candidate of the NNPP for Kano Central following the withdrawal of Ibrahim Shekarau as a member of the party and Senatorial Candidate due to irreconcilable differences he had with the party leadership.
However, rather than obeying the Federal High Court order, the INEC took it upon itself and appealed the judgment at the end of which it lost at the Appellate Court.
Not satisfied with the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, the electoral umpire proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the concurrent decisions of the two courts which upheld Rufai Hanga as the lawful candidate of the NNPP Kano Central Senatorial District.
The Apex Court in the final verdict, resolved the two formulated issues against INEC and discountenance completely with its arguments.
The Supreme Court judgment has therefore finally laid to rest the knotty issue of who is authentic Senator elect for the Kano Central Senatorial District in the February 25 elections.