The Supreme Court has affirmed Rufai Hanga of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP as Senator-elect for Kano Central Senatorial District.
The apex court also removed a former Governor of Kano state, Ibrahim Shekarau as the candidate of the NNPP in the February 25 National Assembly Election.
The court, delivering judgment in an appeal brought before it by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, upheld the Judgments of the Federal high court and the Court of Appeal both in Abuja, which had earlier upheld the candidature of Rufai Hanga as the candidate of the party.
In the Judgment prepared by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the Supreme Court held that the INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and dismissed it.
The Federal high court and the court of appeal had in their previous judgment 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 allegedly had with the party.
Rather than obeying the federal high court order, INEC appealed the judgment at the Appellate Court and lost.
The Commission, not satisfied with the Judgments of the Trial and Appellate Courts, proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgements which upheld Rufai Hanga as the lawful candidate of the NNPP Kano Central Senatorial District.