Tribunal Sacks Bauchi Reps Member

By Adedapo Adesanya

The election of Mr Abdulkadir Sarki as the House of Represenatatives member for Katagum Central Federal Constituency in Bauchi State was short lived as the Bauchi state House of Assembly and National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal on Thursday ordered a re-run election in seven polling units of the constituency.

According to the Secretary of the tribunal, Mr Abdulkadir Abdullahi, who made the decision known, the three members of the tribunal led by its Chairman, Justice Bello Tukar ruled that the certificate of return issued to the first respondent, Mr Sarki be withdrawn.

“The judges directed that the certificate of return issued to the first respondent as a result of the election of February 23 should be withdrawn,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi also added that the tribunal ordered that the re-run election be conducted within 90 days from the day the judgement was delivered.

“The petition with number EPT/NASE/BA/4/2019 in the case of Ibrahim Baba against Rep. Sarki and four others. The conclusion is that the petition succeeds in part, to the extent that the seven polling centres cancelled by the third respondent, that is INEC, an election for re-run has been ordered in those centres,” he disclosed.

Also, the tribunal in its judgment in the petition between Hamma Misau, Haliru Jika and two others, dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

“The petition number EPT/NASE/BA/14‎, Isa Hamma Misau and another, that is his political party and Haliru Dauda Jika and two others, the petition is dismissed for lacking in merit by the same panel unanimously,” Mr Abdullahi said.