The State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in Kebbi has nullified the election of Tukur Mohammed (PDP) as for the Koko/Besse constituency and declared Kabiru Abdullahi (CPC) as the winner.
The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga, said while delivering the judgement in Birnin Kebbi on Friday that the nullification was based on the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.
Edodo-Eruaga ordered the INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Mohammed.
She also ordered INEC to issue Abdullahi a certificate of return as the member representing Koko/Besse constituency in the state assembly.
Abdullahi had claimed that Mohammed was not qualified to contest the election for not being educated up to secondary school or it’s equivalent and called for the cancellation of the result.
The tribunal upheld that Mohammed failed to convincingly prove that he had attended the Government Secondary School, Sanyinna, in Sokoto State, between 1980 and 1985 as claimed.
Edodo-Eruagasaid the respondent failed to satisfy the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended and had contradicted himself on the actual secondary school he attended.
“By his own showing, the respondent contradicted himself as to the name of the secondary school he attended and it is unthinkable that a person will fill a form with his own hand in the name of an institution that was not in existence,” she said.
The counsel to the petitioner, Mr Sam Kagbo, said the judgement was an additional sign that the judiciary would not be swayed by political considerations in preference to justice and fairness.
The tribunal ordered both parties to bear their own costs. (NAN)
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