The Tribunal based its decision on the NNPP candidate, Datti’s refusal to resign from his job at Bayero University (BUK), Kano, thirty days before the Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency election in February 2023.
The National/State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Kano has sacked Rep. Yusuf Umar Datti of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as the representative for Kura/Madobi/Garun Malam Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
In a verdict, which returned Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress (APC), delivered by the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Ngozi Flora Azinge, the tribunal said Umar Datti’s sack was due to his failure to resign from Bayero University, Kano thirty (30) days before the conduct of elections as stipulated by the law.
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Justice Azinge stressed the need for candidates to adhere to electoral guidelines, saying, “Electoral rules and regulations are crucial in maintaining the integrity of our democratic process. Failure to adhere to these rules can have serious consequences.”
Justice Azinge consequently ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to set aside the certificate of return issued to Datti and declare Musa Kwankwaso as the winner of the election, having scored the second-highest votes during the February 25 elections.
