Tribunal Nullifies APC Candidate’s Election, Orders Fresh Poll

By Laleye Dipo

The Niger State National Assembly Election Tribunal has nullified the election of Alhaji Kasim Danjuma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Magama/Rijau federal constituency by-election held in the state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Danjuma winner of the by-election held on March 27, 2020.

However, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the by-election, Mr. Emma Alamu, had approached the tribunal, accusing Danjuma of submitting forged documents to INEC thereby making him ineligible to contest the by-election.

According to the petitioner, Danjuma presented fake primary school certificate and forged declaration of age certificate to INEC for the clearance.

The counsel to the petitioner, Mohammed Ndayako, therefore asked the tribunal to quash the victory of the APC candidate and declare the PDP candidate the winner.

In its judgment on Monday, the three-man tribunal headed by Justice B. F. Zubairu, in a unanimous judgment, upheld the petition and declared the victory of Danjuma null and void.

The tribunal said the petitioner proved beyond reasonable doubt that the first respondent presented forged documents to INEC which enabled him to contest the election.

The tribunal therefore annulled the election and directed INEC to conduct fresh election in the constituency within the next 90 days.

It also ruled that Danjuma and his party, the APC, will not be eligible to contest in the by-election.

The APC had recently lost three local government chairmen seats to the PDP on similar grounds.