The Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna on Monday sacked the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hassan Doguwa.
Before his removal, Hon. Doguwa was the member representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State.
According to the Daily Nigerian newspaper, the appellate court in a unanimous judgement nullified the entire election in the two local government areas Hon. Doguwa represents.
The court held that the election that produced Doguwa was fraught with massive irregularities.
The court, in a judgement delivered by Oludotun Adefope-Okojie, ordered fresh elections in the constituency.
Vigil360 recalls that the sack is coming barely few days after another House of Reps member from Kano, Abdulmumin Jibrin, was sacked by the appeal court.
Just like Mr Doguwa, the court ordered a fresh election in the two local governments of Kiru and Bebeji which constitutes Mr Jibrin’s federal constituency.
The decision of the appellate court followed a petition filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Yusha’u Salisu, against Mr Doguwa’s election. The petitioner held that the election that produced Doguwa was characterized by irregularities. However, the Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petition over alleged failure to prove allegations of irregularities and over-voting in the election. The PDP candidate, however, appealed the decision of the tribunal.
At the Court of Appeal, judges said they wondered how the tribunal arrived at the conclusion that PDP and its candidate had failed to prove their case.
While setting aside the tribunal judgement, the court nullified the entire election in the two local government areas Mr Doguwa represents, saying the whole process was marred by irregularities.
The appellate court held that the entire election could not stand as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had omitted other parties from the final declaration of the result.
