Tarauni Fed Constituency Poll: Tribunal Sacks NNPP Lawmaker
- Declares APC candidate, Hafizu Kawu winner
BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – The National and State House of Assembly elections petition tribunal sitting in Kano has sacked the member representing Tarauni Federal Constituency of Kano State in the Federal House of Representative, Umar Mukhtar Yerima.
Yerima’s election, on the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)’s platform, was nullified on Thursday by the Tribunal, citing a case of certificate forgery against him.
According to the three-man panel of the tribunal led by Justice I.P. Chima, the petitioner, Hafizu Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) succeeded in his case challenging Yerima’s emergence having proven a case of forgery against the NNPP candidate.
The Tribunal held that Yerima was not qualified to contest the election because his primary school certificate tendered to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was forged and therefore declared the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Hafizu Kawu as the duly elected winner of the February 25, 2023, National Assembly election.
Additionally, the tribunal noted that the school, Hausawa Primary School, has even disowned the certificate because the respondent’s name is not on its record therefore, what Yerima presented was fake.
Making reference to the electoral umpire’s earlier declaration of Yerima as the winner, the tribunal held that the unfolding development clearly means that the NNPP had no candidate in the election and all the votes that were cast for Yerima were wasted votes.
Also ruling that Yerima’s claims of having a change of name in 2022 did not hold water, the Tribunal said he has continuously been using three names (Umar Mukhtar Zakari) on his International passports since 2009 while his primary school certificate still bears Umar Mukhtar.
It thereafter directed INEC to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to the NNPP’s flag bearer.
