In a significant development, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled to sack two members of the House of Representatives and declare candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as duly elected in their respective constituencies.
1. **Yola North/Yola South/Girei Federal Constituency:**
– The Court of Appeal has nullified the election of Mohammed Salihu (Abba Girei) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and declared APC’s Abubakar Babazango (Abaza) as duly elected. The court ordered the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return awarded to Salihu and directed INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Babazango.
2. **Maiha/Mubi North/Mubi South Federal Constituency:**
– The Appeal Court also nullified the election of Hon. Jingi Rufai of the PDP in this constituency and declared APC’s Abubakar Magaji Jaafar as the rightful winner. The court ordered the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return awarded to Rufai and instructed INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Jaafar.
These decisions come after the appellants approached the tribunal, challenging the outcomes of the elections. The Tribunal had earlier dismissed the petitions, but the Appellate Court has now overturned those decisions, declaring the APC candidates as duly elected in the affected federal constituencies.
