A Federal High Court in Kano on Thursday nullified the candidature of former presidential aide, Kawu Sumaila, as the elected representative of Sumaila/Takai federal constituency of Kano in the House of Representatives.
Sumaila, a former Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly matters, won the election last February on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court, however, ordered the electoral commission, INEC, to recognise Shamsuddeen Dambazau as the APC candidate for the position.
Dambazau, a son of the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, had sued INEC, APC and Sumaila challenging the nomination of the latter as the candidate of APC.
His counsel, Nuraini Jimoh, had argued before the court that Sumaila was not validly nominated to be vie for a seat in the House of Represenatives having contested for Kano South senatorial seat and lost to Kabiru Gaya.
He maintained that the state chapter of APC compensated Sumaila with House of Representatives ticket of the Sumaila/Takai federal constituency which is also within the Kano South senatorial district.
The judge, however, ruled that the action of the APC was illegal as the ex-presidential aide did not participate in the APC primary for the House of Representatives.
The judge, Lewis Allagoa, ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Sumaila.
Sumaila’s counsel, Auwal Tofa, declined to comment on the judgment.
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