Appeal Court confirms Ndume, Lawan elected senators for Borno South, Central

Senators Mohammed Ndume and Sen. Kaka Lawan of Borno South and Central Senatorial Districts respectively on Thursday joined the ranks of lawmakers whose stay in the 10th National Assembly have been confirmed with the affirmation of their electoral victory by Court of Appeal. red chamber for the next in the red cha

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared Ndume and Lawan as the winners of the National Assembly election into the two Southern and Central Borno senatorial districts seats held on 25 February 2023

However, two of their opponents and their parties in the election – Muhammed Kumalia and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Kudla Satumari of the same party had challenged the declaration of INEC at the state’s election tribunal.

The Borno National and State’s Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the two petitions.

The three-member panel, presided by Justice Biobele Georgewill, held that the two appeals against the lawmakers lacked merit.

However, not satisfied with the judgments of the tribunal, Kumalia and Satumari headed to the Court of Appeal in appeal number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/7/2023 between Mohammed Umara Kumalia & another Vs. Kaka Shehu Lawan and others, and appeal number: CA/G/EP/SEN/BR/04/2023 between Kula Satumari & another Vs. INEC and others.

While Yusuf Ali, SAN, represented Kaka Shehu and APC, Johnson Usman, SAN, appeared for INEC and Marcel Oru, SAN, represented Ndume in the two appeals.

The senior lawyers urged the court to dismiss the appeals for lacking in merit.

Delivering the judgments, the Court of Appeal upheld the submissions of the learned senior counsel to the respondents that the two appeals lacked merit and dismissed same while affirming the election of Lawan and Ndume respectively.

(NAN)