The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal for Sokoto/Zamfara states, which met in Sokoto on Monday, dismisses Umar Yusuf Yabo, a National Assembly member representing the Yabo/Shagari Federal Constituency, popularly known as Danmaje.
In a unanimous ruling, the three-judge Tribunal ordered the removed lawmaker to pay the petitioner N500,000 in damages as a cost award..
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Ashu A.Ewah, declared Danmaje’s election as a member of the House of Representatives null and unlawful.
Justice Helen HammanJoda and Justice Ali Changbo also serve on the tribunal.
Justice Ewah declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the election in 2023 and rerun it in February 2024, which was marred by malpractices.
The Tribunal ordered INEC to schedule and hold another rerun within the next 90 days.
The election will be place in two impacted polling stations in the Shagari Local Government Area.
The Tribunal further ordered INEC to revoke the certificate of return granted to Danmaje.
The legislator, who ran on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, defeated his nearest opponent, Abubakar Umar of the All Progressives Congress (APC), 27,042 to 25,738 in the state’s first court-ordered runoff.
Meanwhile, Danmaje stated that he intends to challenge the Tribunal’s decision.