•Sacked Umar Yusuf Yabo
The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal for Sokoto/Zamfara states sitting in Sokoto yesterday sacked a member of the National Assembly representing Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency, Umar Yusuf Yabo, popularly called Danmaje.
The three-judge Tribunal, in a unanimous ruling, further ordered the sacked lawmaker to pay N500,000 as damages to the petitioner as cost award, reports Channels TV.
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Ashu A.Ewah, declared that the elections of Danmaje as a member of the House of Representatives null and void.
Other members of the tribunal are Justice Helen HammanJoda and Justice Ali Changbo.
Justice Ewah said the election which was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2023 and a rerun in February 2024, was marred with malpractices.
The Tribunal ordered INEC to organise and conduct another rerun within the next 90 days.
The election is to be conducted in two affected polling units of Shagari Local Government Area.
The Tribunal further ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Danmaje.
The lawmaker, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeated his closest opponent Abubakar Umar of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 27,042 to 25,738 after the initial court-ordered rerun in the state.
Meanwhile, Danmaje said he would appeal the judgement of the Tribunal.
