APC Loses Adamawa North Senatorial Seat as A’Court Sacks Senator Ishaku Abbo

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost the seat of Adamawa North Senatorial District, following the sack of Senator Ishaku Abbo, by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja.

The appellate court is the final court for petitions against the National Assembly election, and that court in its verdict on Monday, held that Abbo, who became popular over an incident at a sex toy shop some few years back was not the authentic winner of the February 25, senatorial election in Adamawa State.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, subsequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the earlier Certificate of Return issued to Abbo and issue a fresh one to Mr Amos Yohanna, being the duly elected Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

In arriving at the decision, the panel found the judgment of the lower tribunal to be against the side of the law and justice and accordingly set it aside.

Recall that the tribunal had dismissed the petition of Yohanna, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for lacking in merit.

The tribunal had agreed with the electoral umpire that Abbo won the lawful majority of votes cast at the February 25 parliamentary polls.

Displeased, Yohanna accordingly approached the appellate court to upturn the judgment of the tribunal.

The Court of Appeal, after hearing arguments from parties, agreed with Usman that based on Section 137 of the Electoral Act, 2022, the results tendered clearly showed that there was no compliance with the Electoral Act.

The court, thereafter, deducted the invalid votes from both parties and found that Yohanna and the PDP won the election by majority of lawful votes.