Tribunal Reserves Judgement On Suit Against Kaduna Lawmaker

The Kaduna State election petitions tribunal has reserved judgement on an alleged academic certificates inconsistency case instituted against the member representing Unguwan Sanusi constituency of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Auwal Mohammed.

The tribunal disclosed this after receiving the final written address from the petitioner and plaintiff.

Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Hon. Hassan Ya’u, approached the tribunal seeking the disqualification of Hon. Auwal who was declared winner of the 2023 election under the platform of the APC alleging that both his primary and secondary school certificates were not authentic.

According to him, the certificates tendered by the incumbent House of Assembly member for the 2019 election is different from that of 2023 and for that reason, the court should nullify the victory of Hon. Mohammed and declare him as the duly elected member to represent the constituency.

Fielding questions from the counsel to the first respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barrister Opeyemi Ajikulo, said the tribunal lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the case.

According to Opeyemi, the matter should have come up at the state high court as a pre-election matter, adding that the law did not assume that the petitioner should go to sleep and come back after the election.