The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed Malam Rufai Hanga as the Senator-elect for Kano Central Senatorial District of Kano State at the National Assembly on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
In the judgment prepared by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court held that the appeal brought before it by the Independent National Electoral Commission lacked merit and consequently dismissed the suit.
In its verdict, the apex court resolved the two formulated issues against one and disagreed with it completely in its arguments.
The court equally sacked a former Kano State governor and former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, as the candidate of the NNPP in the February 25 National Assembly election.
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Earlier, a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in Abuja had upheld the candidature of Hanga as the senatorial candidate of the party following the withdrawal of Shekarau as a member of the party and senatorial candidate over irreconcilable differences he had with the party’s leadership.
However, INEC appealed the judgment which it consequently lost at the appellate court.
The electoral body subsequently proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the two courts which declared Hanga as the lawful candidate of the party for the senatorial district.
