Sunday Ejike – Abuja

The Supreme Court on Friday, affirmed Rufai Hanga of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the Senator elect for the Kano Central Senatorial District of Kano State.

The Apex court removed former Kano state governor and former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau as the candidate of the NNPP in the February 25 National Assembly Election.

Delivering Judgment in an appeal brought before it by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Apex Court upheld the judgments of a Federal High Court, Abuja and the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division which had, earlier upheld the candidature of Rufai Hanga as the party’s Senatorial candidate.

In the judgment prepared by Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the Supreme Court held that INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and consequently dismissed it in its entirety.

The Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had, in their previous judgments upheld Rufai Hanga as the Senatorial Candidate of the NNPP for Kano Central following the withdrawal of Ibrahim Shekarau as a member of the party and Senatorial Candidate due to irreconcilable differences he had with the party leadership.

However, rather than obeying the Federal High Court order, INEC took it upon itself and appealed the judgment at the end of which it lost at the Appellate Court.

Not satisfied with the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, the electoral umpire proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the concurrent findings of the two courts which upheld Rufai Hanga as the lawful candidate of the NNPP for Kano Central Senatorial District.

The Apex Court in the final verdict, resolved the two formulated issues against INEC and disagreed with it completely in its arguments.

The Supreme Court judgment has therefore finally laid to rest the issue of the authentic Senator elect for the Kano Central Senatorial District in the February 25 elections.