The decision of the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal to invalidate the election of Umar Mukhtari Zakari, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate for Tarauni Federal Constituency, Kano State, has been overturned by the Court of Appeal. Read full article
In an opinion issued on Saturday in Abuja, a three-member court panel accepted the claims made by Mahmud Magaji (SAN), counsel for Zakari and the NNPP, that the tribunal committed legal errors in making its ruling.
The Court of Appeal ruled that because the petitioners had not provided sufficient evidence to support their contention that Zakari had falsified his credentials, the tribunal was incorrect in drawing that conclusion. Justice Obande Ogbuinya wrote the main judgement.
Ibrahim Hafiz Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) filed a suit on March 17, 2023, challenging the declaration of Zakari as the victor of the election held on February 25.
According to the petitioners, Zakari allegedly fabricated the Housawa Special Primary School certificate that he gave to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), claiming that the name on it was just "Muktar Umar."
In its ruling on Saturday, the Court of Appeal determined that the respondents—who had filed petitions with the tribunal—had failed to establish that Zakari was not the same individual who attended the school and received the certificate.
It then went on to overturn the tribunal's decision, grant the appeal, and confirm Zakari's election.