Tribunal sacks Bauchi lawmaker, affirms another's election

The State and National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Bauchi, on Tuesday, nullified the election of Honourable Idi Shehu Tiyin, member, representing Warji Constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly, on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately give the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate in the April 28, 2011 election, Hamza Gawo, certificate of return as the legitimate winner of the election.Gawo had approached the tribunal to challenge the election of Tiyin, who is the chairman, House Committee on Security, claiming that his election did not conform with the Electoral Act 2010, as it was characterised by massive rigging, malpractice, ballot stuffing and snatching of ballot boxes, adding that the defendant also presented a false qualification to the INEC.During the hearing of the petition, Gawo called a number of witnesses, including officials from the Certificate Evaluation Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, to prove his allegations. The officials from the ministry told the tribunal that the Standard Certificate of Education allegedly issued by Standard Association Examinations of the United States of America was not recognised in either Nigeria or the USA.Delivering her judgment, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Maria Sanda Zukogi, said that the tribunal was convinced, based on the evidence before it, as of the time of the election, that Honourable Tiyin was not qualified to contest the election and, therefore, declared Gawo, who came second with the majority of votes cast in the election as the winner.
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