The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday withdrew the Certificates of Return issued to two members-elect of Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The members are Haruna Aliyu popularly known as Chakis and Ibrahim Ismail.
While Aliyu represented Kaduna North II (Kawo), Ismail was the legislator for Kaduna South II (Tudun Wada) constituency.
The duo, whose certificates were withdrawn contested in the All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries where two other contestants, Yusuf Salihu and Nasiru Usman scored 104 and 49 votes at the said elections held on October 7, 2018.
Meanwhile, their party, the APC, had substituted the names of the winners of the primaries with that of Haruna Aliyu and Ibrahim Ismail who had scored 24 and 35 votes, respectively and submitted same to INEC as the party’s candidates.
Delivering its judgment on the matter at the Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna, the presiding Judge, Justice Z. B Abubakar said Nasiru Usman having scored the highest number of votes cast at the primaries conducted on the said date for elective position of member State House of Assembly representing Tudun Wada Constituency otherwise known as Kaduna South II, Kaduna State is the nominated candidate for the general elections.
Justice Abubakar stated that the purported substitution of the name of Hon. Yusuf Salihu for the Kaduna State House of Assembly election Kaduna North II Constituency is in violation of the provision of section 33 of the Electoral Act. 2010 as amended.
Following the court orders, INEC has adhered to the directives and issued certificate of return to Yusuf Salihu and Nasiru Usman as the winners of the 2019 Kaduna State House of Assembly election.
