Supreme Court Removes Shekarau As Kano Central Senator-elect, Affirms Hanga

The Supreme Court has set aside the election of a former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, as the Senator-elect for Kano Central on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the February 25 National Assembly elections.

Instead, the apex court affirmed Rufai Hanga as Senator-elect for Kano Central Senatorial District on the platform of the NNPP.

In its judgment in an appeal brought before it by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Court upheld the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal which had earlier upheld the candidature of Rufai Hanga for the senatorial zone in the just-concluded election.

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 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 allegedly had with the party. Rather than obeying the Federal High Court order, INEC appealed the judgment at the Appellate Court and lost.

Not satisfied with the judgments of the Trial and Appellate Courts, the electoral body proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgements which upheld Rufai Hanga as the lawful candidate of the NNPP Kano central Senatorial District.